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The high court, without comment, refused Emigrant Mortgage's appeal of a verdict holding it liable for no income, no asset verification loans to minorities. View the full article

President Donald The President says he’ll tap former Federal Reserve governor Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair to replace Jerome Powell in May — with The President believing that he can finally get the booming economy that he promised to voters. When The President said that Warsh comes from “central casting,” the president revealed a lot about his own views of the 55 year-old’s looks and conventional pedigree. Warsh has many of the trappings of a traditional pick to lead the world’s most important central bank, yet he’s doing so at a decidedly unconventional moment for the Fed as The President has said the new chair needs to cut its benchmark rates to the White House’s liking. “He’s very smart, very good, strong, young, pretty young,” The President told reporters on Friday about Warsh. “He was the central casting guy that people wanted.” The president added, “Looks don’t mean anything, but he’s got the look.” Rate cuts of the degree sought by The President could temporarily boost growth, but they also pose the risk of overheating the economy at a time when inflation is already elevated and affordability is a top concern for much of the American public. Warsh was previously a runner-up for the Senate-confirmed post of Fed Chair in 2017, when The President selected Powell to lead the central bank. The President has since said that he was given bad advice regarding Powell. Warsh is credentialed with degrees from Stanford University and Harvard University Law School. He is also married to Jane Lauder, the daughter of billionaire cosmetics heir Ronald Lauder, a major Republican donor. At 35, Warsh became the youngest governor on the Fed’s seven member board, serving in that post from 2006 to 2011. He was previously an economic aide in George W. Bush’s Republican administration and was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. Warsh worked closely with then-Chair Ben Bernanke in 2008-09 during the central bank’s efforts to combat the financial crisis and the Great Recession. Bernanke later wrote in his memoirs that Warsh was “one of my closest advisers and confidants” and added that his “political and markets savvy and many contacts on Wall Street would prove invaluable.” Still, Warsh appeared in key moments to be misguided about the depth of the challenges confronting the U.S. economy as mortgage defaults and layoffs mounted in the Great Recession. He wanted the Fed to keep its benchmark rates higher when the economy was at risk of deflation and possibly collapsing. Warsh raised concerns in 2008 that further interest rate cuts by the Fed could spur inflation. Yet even after the Fed cut its rate to nearly zero, inflation stayed low. And he objected in meetings in 2011 to the Fed’s decision to purchase $600 billion of Treasury bonds, an effort to lower long-term interest rates, though he ultimately voted in favor of the decision at Bernanke’s behest. Warsh also behaved at times like a pre-The President Republican, calling in a 2010 speech for ending “the creep of trade protectionism” that he declared to be the opposite of “pro-growth policies.” The President has since largely overhauled GOP dogma by pushing for massive hikes in import taxes, having unilaterally imposed them last year by declaring an economic emergency. Warsh has been working as a visiting economics fellow at the Hoover Institution, a conservative think tank located at Stanford University. He is also a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a partner at the Duquesne Family Office, which manages the wealth of billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller. In recent months, Warsh has appeared to engage in an active campaign for the Fed post with TV interviews and articles. He has become much more critical of the Fed, calling for “regime change” and assailing Powell for engaging on issues like climate change and diversity, equity and inclusion, which Warsh said are outside the Fed’s mandate. In a July interview on CNBC, Warsh said Fed policy “has been broken for quite a long time.” “The central bank that sits there today is radically different than the central bank I joined in 2006,” he added. By allowing inflation to surge in 2021-22, the Fed “brought about the greatest mistake in macroeconomic policy in 45 years, that divided the country.” In a November opinion article in The Wall Street Journal, Warsh said that the Fed “should abandon the dogma that inflation is caused when the economy grows too much and workers get paid too much. Inflation is caused when government spends too much and prints too much.” He suggested that inflationary pressures would be lowered because technologies such as artificial intelligence would lead to higher levels of productivity. His bet that AI will lead to growth without inflation aligns closely with The President’s own belief that inflation has been defeated and that the AI buildout will power growth this year. “AI will be a significant disinflationary force, increasing productivity and bolstering American competitiveness,” Warsh wrote. —Josh Boak and Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press View the full article

If you’ve received any text messages from California-based healthcare giant Kaiser Permanente, you could be eligible for cash under the terms of a new settlement. The Kaiser Foundation Health Plan agreed to pay $10.5 million to settle a class action suit filed in August 2025. That suit alleged that the healthcare company sent marketing texts to people who had already replied “stop” to opt out of receiving them. That practice could run afoul of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), a law protecting consumers from aggressive telemarketing and robocalls, and the Florida Telephone Solicitation Act. Jonathan Fried, the plaintiff who brought the suit, lived in the Miami, Florida area at the time. Anyone who opted out of marketing texts but received more than one message from Kaiser within a 12-month period between January 21, 2021 and August 20, 2025 is eligible to be part of the settlement class. The settlement’s final approval hearing was held this week, on January 28. Anyone who meets the criteria and files a valid claim can receive $75 for each marketing text Kaiser sent after it acknowledged their request to opt out. If that’s you, you can submit a claim form online or through the mail by February 12, the filing deadline. While this one is pretty cut and dry, it’s not the only settlement Kaiser Permanente has been involved in lately. In mid-January Kaiser agreed to pay out $46 million to settle allegations that its website and app included tracking code that shared patient health and personal data with third parties. Earlier this month, Kaiser also agreed to pay $556 million in a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice over allegations that it fraudulently billed the government for conditions that patients didn’t have. Kaiser provides health insurance and care for 12.6 million people across the country. “More than half of our nation’s Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans, and the government expects those who participate in the program to provide truthful and accurate information,” Justice Department’s Civil Division Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said of the settlement. The Justice Department accused the health provider of bringing in around $1 billion between 2009 and 2018 by adding on diagnoses to Medicare Advantage patients’ charts. In a press release issued earlier this month, Kaiser emphasized that the settlement does not amount to an admission of “wrongdoing or liability” and was chosen to avoid a longer litigation process. “Multiple major health plans have faced similar government scrutiny over Medicare Advantage risk adjustment standards and practices, reflecting industrywide challenges in applying these requirements,” the healthcare consortium wrote. View the full article

What many applicants may not realize is that, nowadays, the first hurdle in applying for a job is dealing with AI. Candidates now often must clear an artificial intelligence system that screens their résumés that quietly determines who advances, and whose application is filed away in a drawer or spam folder, never to see the light of day. Now, a new lawsuit filed on Tuesday is the first in the U.S. to accuse an AI hiring company of violating the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Eightfold AI, a venture capital-backed artificial intelligence hiring platform, is being sued by two workers in California for allegedly compiling reports used to screen job applicants without their knowledge, consent, or any opportunity to correct errors. “I’ve applied to hundreds of jobs, but it feels like an unseen force is stopping me from being fairly considered,” said Erin Kistler, one of the plaintiffs, in a press release. Both plaintiffs applied to roles at several companies that use Eightfold AI, including PayPal and Microsoft, according to the complaint. Out of the thousands of jobs she has sought in the past year, only 0.3% of her applications have progressed to a follow-up or interview, Kistler told the New York Times. “It’s disheartening, and I know I’m not alone in feeling this way.” Eightfold AI’s algorithm trawls career sites, job boards, and résumé databases to create a data set of “1 million job titles, 1 million skills, and the profiles of more than 1 billion people working in every job, profession, industry, and geography”, according to their website—much of it “inaccurate, incomplete, or drawn from unknown third-party sources,” the complaint alleges. Using an AI model trained on that data, plaintiffs say, Eightfold AI scores job applications on a scale of one to five, based on their skills, experience, and the hiring manager’s goals. These AI-generated evaluations function as “consumer reports under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) and California law,” the lawsuit alleges. Unlike credit reports (a type of consumer report which the FCRA regulates to ensure accuracy and fairness), applicants are given no feedback on their scores or how the rating was generated, rarely aware that an algorithm evaluated them at all. If the tool is making mistakes, candidates have no ability to correct them. This creates a “black box” situation where we can see what goes into an AI system, and what comes out. But the reasoning in between remains hidden or incomprehensible to humans or the employers relying on the scoring when considering potential hires. This opacity is troubling at a time when more companies are relying on AI for hiring and candidate screening. A spokesperson for Eightfold AI told Fast Company that “this characterization about our products is factually incorrect. Eightfold offers technology that enterprises use to manage their talent processes and engage with candidates. Eightfold does not ‘lurk’ or scrape personal web history, social media or the like to build secret dossiers. Eightfold’s platform operates on data that is submitted by candidates to our customers or provided by our customers.” They continued: “We use information such as skills, experience and education that applicants choose to submit to our customers and data authorized by our customers under contract.” They also pointed to their blueprint to learn more about their specific data practices. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, are not demanding the elimination of AI from hiring. Instead, they are asking for AI companies to be held to the same standards as others. “Just because this company is using some fancy-sounding AI technology and is backed by venture capital doesn’t put it above the law,” David Seligman, Executive Director of Towards Justice, said in the press release. “This isn’t the wild west.” Still, as AI becomes more pervasive in hiring, legal conflicts like this may just become more and more common. View the full article

Fourth quarter pretax income of $900,000 and net income of $656,000 for the segment compared with year ago losses of $625,000 and $197,000 respectively.

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe 5-second summary Knowledge workers often struggle to uncover relevant insights (like past research results or a list of ideas brainstormed last quarter) exactly when they need it, leading to wasted time, energy, and money. Intentional async practices surface vital knowledge that helps teams prevent duplicate work and make better decisions, faster. AI can serve as a helpful partner in gathering and summarizing what already exists before creating anything new. The worst thing you can do is sink a lot of money into something that you end up having to scrap, for reasons that could have been flagged at the beginning of the project… VP, Fortune 500 financial services company, in Atlassian’s State of Teams 2025 report It’s a painful rite of passage for knowledge workers: You spend days or weeks on a project, only to discover a related idea you wish you’d known earlier, a piece of data that changes your work, or (worst of all) something that negates everything you’ve been doing. Maybe you launch a survey, only to learn afterward that another team ran almost the same survey last quarter – and already answered your key questions. Or you might spend a week assembling a strategy deck, then stumble across a document with sharper thinking and fresher data that never crossed your radar. That’s the all‑too‑familiar problem for many teams, especially those who work asynchronously: lack of visibility into work that’s already been done, ideas that have already been considered, and insights that have already been gathered. This information may be: Buried in an old deck, an epic from two years ago, or a page no one can find Delivered after the deadline or the moment you were looking Shared quietly or held back completely Either way, if knowledge isn’t surfaced at the right time or in the right way, it never gets used – leading to wasted time and energy at best, and costly mistakes at worst. The good news is there are plenty of ways to overcome those barriers. Here’s how your team can tackle these challenges, use async benefits to your advantage, and do your best work – together. Teams have more information than ever, but they’ve never been less informed As the pace of work accelerates, employees are using more tools than ever and scattering data across a graveyard of disconnected work artifacts. This leaves people struggling to find and use relevant insights, like past research results or a list of ideas brainstormed last quarter. In fact, Atlassian’s most recent State of Teams report shows Fortune 500 companies waste 2.4 billion (yes, with a “b!”) hours every year searching for information. One in two knowledge workers report that teams at their company tend to unknowingly work on the same things, and just 20% feel confident that their team has an effective process for quickly informing other teams of decisions that may impact their work. The three things teams say they need to collaborate more effectively: Clearer goals Shared processes for how to get work done Ability to easily find the exact information they need Let’s dive deeper into that third benefit and explore six practical, research‑backed habits any team – especially those who work async – can use to surface knowledge faster and make even better decisions. 6 async practices to uncover existing insights Related Article How to excel at asynchronous communication with your distributed team By Jaime Netzer In Communication 1. Write before you meet Practice: Ask team members to write their thoughts and ideas about a topic before meeting. One of the biggest challenges with making decisions in live meetings is that meetings perpetuate groupthink and introduce bias. One way to avoid this is to give people time and space to write down their thoughts before they meet. Studies comparing group brainstorming to brainwriting (individually writing ideas) find that people generate more – and more unique – ideas when they write first instead of speaking in a group. Writing slows thinking down enough for nuance and clarity to emerge. People can draft, edit, and refine instead of reacting in real time. That means a designer in Sydney can write down three thoughtful concerns about a proposed UI change, rather than trying to get a word in during a rushed, late-night call. Similarly, writing also removes pressure to respond instantly or compete for airtime, which is especially helpful for introverts, junior team members, and those from under‑represented groups. Try it: Before a meeting or working session, share a short prompt for your collaborators to answer in writing. For a planning session, it could be, “What risks do you think we’re underestimating?” For a new campaign brainstorming session, it could be, “What’s the best campaign you’ve seen lately, and why?” Ask each person to write their thoughts in a shared document before any live discussion. Let people add async follow-up comments. Start the live meeting by reviewing a summary of themes the team wrote down and any notable outliers that may influence decisions. Where you can ask AI to help: Give the tool an overview of the meeting goals, topics to discuss, and what success looks like. Then, ask it to brainstorm questions and prompts for attendees to answer in writing ahead of time. Cluster themes among the responses, and highlight outliers. Present your team’s ideas in search results when another team is looking for similar information months later. 2. Design for time-delayed contribution Practice: Give everyone an opportunity to respond before you review. Some people are fast thinkers and communicators. Others take more time to formulate and write their thoughts. Some team members may be in a different time zone or out of the office. The fastest replies often get the most attention, but speed isn’t a signal of insight or value. Building in time for everyone who wants to contribute levels the playing field and avoids missing potentially important perspectives. Research on remote and virtual teams shows people are less likely to share when they feel like they’re being watched and more likely to share when they feel psychologically safe. Encouraging collaborators to share knowledge async – and giving them more time to do so – puts them in control over when and how they show up. That creates space for more robust, thoughtful input, and fewer decisions led by whoever responded first. Try it: Set clear response windows for async comments, like “Add comments to this proposal by end of day Thursday.” Give people clear direction on what type of contributions you’re looking for. Feedback on existing ideas? New ideas? Additional context the group may not have considered? Intentional disagreement to poke holes in a concept? (See practice #3 below.) Send a reminder before the deadline, tagging people who haven’t responded (if appropriate). In your recap, you can call out key contributions that arrived later in the time window in case people who responded earlier missed them. Where you can ask AI to help: Resurface lightly engaged threads before the response window closes, and summarize who hasn’t responded yet: “Only 2 of 5 assignees have replied. You are waiting on Marcos, Jennifer, and Lynn.” Schedule reminders for the team to contribute before the deadline. Flag contributions that are significantly different from earlier responses so you don’t miss something that changes decisions. 3. Intentionally invite disagreement Practice: Build in opportunities to respectfully dissent in writing and with purpose. Humans are hardwired to avoid conflict, especially at work. But questioning, disagreement, and arguing (respectfully, of course) can expose issues, clarify confusion, and reduce the risk of bigger problems later on. Conflict also signals that people care about a particular person or topic. In async work, there aren’t as many obvious opportunities for disagreement. You’re not meeting live or talking back and forth with someone you can share your true thoughts and feelings with in real time. That’s why it’s important to build in async opportunities for team members to disagree. Inviting people to share their questions and concerns in writing, on their own time, also gives those who may not feel comfortable speaking up live or face‑to‑face – especially across power or culture gaps – space to think, write, and edit their feedback before sharing. Try it: Add standard prompts to big decisions, such as: “What are we missing?” “If this fails, why will it have failed?” “What do you disagree with, and why?” “What feels riskier than we’re admitting out loud?” “What would a smart critic say about this plan?” Add “risks and concerns” fields to planning page templates and intake forms. Add a section to retrospective and incident review templates where people can share considerate critiques of a decision or tradeoff made. Run the Sparring Play to get async feedback on an idea or piece of work. Normalize respectful questioning and dissent as a helpful contribution to quality, not as criticism or an attack. (Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson shares three rules that contribute to building psychological safety, meaningful dialogue, and co-creation: listen more and speak less, build on others’ contributions, and respond to what’s emerging vs. pre-planning ideas.) Publicly thank people who disagree and say the hard stuff out loud. Show how their input shaped the outcome. Related Article 6 types of meetings that are worth your time (and 3 that aren’t) By Sarah Goff-Dupont In Teamwork Save for syncs Not every comment or conversation is appropriate for async. Opt for real-time communication if it’s: Individual one-on-ones First-time meetings with people who have never worked together Topics that are emotionally charged (performance issues, interpersonal conflicts, etc.) Project kickoffs Where you can ask AI to help: Analyze multiple messages and flag areas of repeated uncertainty or concern, like “Several people have raised concerns about privacy.” Summarize themes after a sparring session. Automatically add a step to suggested workflows to invite disagreement, instead of relying on people to remember to do it. Edit dissent messages for tone and clarity so those messages are better received, like changing “This plan is reckless and ignores basic security” to “I’m concerned this plan may introduce significant security risks that we haven’t fully evaluated yet.” 4. Separate idea generation from evaluation Practice: Don’t mix “What could we do?” with “What should we do?” There are two types of thinking: divergent and convergent. Divergent thinking is unrestricted, judgment-free, and takes a meandering path to explore all viable (and some not-so-viable) options. Convergent thinking uses logic to narrow down ideas in a structured way. Alex Osborn, who developed the creative-problem solving framework in the 1940s, noted that both types of thinking are essential to creativity. The problem is people often jump to convergent thinking as the most direct path to one “right” solution. If they don’t diverge first, they may make a short‑sighted decision and miss out on an even better solution. Try it: Break up the brainstorming or problem-solving process to diverge first, then converge. Start with divergent thinking to generate ideas (async): Share a collaborative document or form with the team for brainstorming, and ask them to share any and all observations, concerns, hypotheses, and ideas about the topic. Remind them to suspend judgment. Don’t worry about what’s been tried before or what “won’t work.” There are no good or bad ideas at this point. Encourage writing down every concept, even if it’s not certain or fully formed yet. Then evaluate ideas (later, async or sync): Shift to sharing feedback, prioritizing, and making decisions using clear criteria (e.g., impact, effort, risk). Decide which ideas become experiments, tasks/issues, or backlog items. Where you can ask AI to help: Label contributions by type (observation, risk, assumption, idea, etc.) so you can see what’s missing. Group similar ideas based on themes. Compare ideas to requirements or context to spot gaps or misalignment. Prioritize ideas based on criteria. 5. Surface summaries Practice: Share recaps of conversations and decisions with the rest of the team. Insights often get lost in conversation threads, notes, and documents. After doing any of these practices above or meeting live, share a summary of what was discussed and decided in a Slack or Teams channel, shared workspace, or wherever your team communicates. Summarizing and resurfacing information not only helps close the loop, but also means the next team doesn’t have to re‑ask the same questions or repeat the same experiment six months later. Decision logs and recap notes are consistently cited as a cornerstone of effective async collaboration, as GitLab notes in their handbook. Try it: Assign a teammate in each meeting or working session to share a recap with all stakeholders. In a simple written summary or decision log, capture: What was discussed or decided Key findings and patterns that informed the conversation and decision Points of tension or disagreement Open questions and notes to revisit later Store summaries where the team actually works, like a project’s Confluence page or Slack channel. Resurface findings at key moments: planning, retros, onboarding, or when similar work starts. Where you can ask AI to help: Add an AI notetaker, such as Loom, to your meetings to take notes and automatically share a summary. Create insight‑focused summaries, like “Here are the four main concerns and why the group chose Option B.” Schedule reminders to revisit notes, open questions, and past decisions for further review and assessment. 6. Create dedicated async “thinking spaces” Practice: Set up a document, workspace, or chat channel for random thoughts and brainstorming. Our brains work differently when they’re thinking than when they’re doing. (Both modes are equally important.) Even when we’re not thinking, like when we’re trying to fall asleep or in the shower, ideas strike at random. That’s because people generate better ideas when they have time and space to think alone, then come together to collaborate. It’s crucial to intentionally think before we do and to capture those thoughts before they disappear into the void. Async “thinking spaces” (like a Confluence page, whiteboard, or Slack channel) do exactly that: give team members a low-pressure place to jot down questions and blue‑sky ideas as they come up, instead of letting them disappear. Try it: Create a shared place as the team’s async thinking space. This space is specifically for: Questions and hypotheses, like “Is adoption suffering because of friction during onboarding?” Patterns people are noticing across customers or incidents, like “Three different tickets mentioned confusion about payment methods this week.” Ideas to revisit in the future Treat these as “slow” channels with fewer, but deeper messages and thoughts. Model the behavior by posting your own reflections, not just directives. If appropriate, share the thinking space with other teams to cross-pollinate knowledge. Where you can ask AI to help: Schedule weekly reminders to add any new ideas. Highlight emerging themes or repeated concerns, like “Social media posts featuring real customers are gaining popularity” or “Customer trust has come up 5 different times this month.” Surface themes across different projects, documents, and channels to bridge silos. How to get started: small experiments, big payoffs Async work won’t surface every insight or replace every meeting – nor should it. But when you make small, deliberate changes to the way your team writes, reflects, and disagrees, you can turn time zones and quiet personalities into a competitive advantage. Your team likely already has valuable work and hard-won lessons just waiting to be uncovered. Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post 6 async practices that surface buried insights (and how AI can help) appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe 5-second summary Knowledge workers often struggle to uncover relevant insights (like past research results or a list of ideas brainstormed last quarter) exactly when they need it, leading to wasted time, energy, and money. Intentional async practices surface vital knowledge that helps teams prevent duplicate work and make better decisions, faster. AI can serve as a helpful partner in gathering and summarizing what already exists before creating anything new. The worst thing you can do is sink a lot of money into something that you end up having to scrap, for reasons that could have been flagged at the beginning of the project… VP, Fortune 500 financial services company, in Atlassian’s State of Teams 2025 report It’s a painful rite of passage for knowledge workers: You spend days or weeks on a project, only to discover a related idea you wish you’d known earlier, a piece of data that changes your work, or (worst of all) something that negates everything you’ve been doing. Maybe you launch a survey, only to learn afterward that another team ran almost the same survey last quarter – and already answered your key questions. Or you might spend a week assembling a strategy deck, then stumble across a document with sharper thinking and fresher data that never crossed your radar. That’s the all‑too‑familiar problem for many teams, especially those who work asynchronously: lack of visibility into work that’s already been done, ideas that have already been considered, and insights that have already been gathered. This information may be: Buried in an old deck, an epic from two years ago, or a page no one can find Delivered after the deadline or the moment you were looking Shared quietly or held back completely Either way, if knowledge isn’t surfaced at the right time or in the right way, it never gets used – leading to wasted time and energy at best, and costly mistakes at worst. The good news is there are plenty of ways to overcome those barriers. Here’s how your team can tackle these challenges, use async benefits to your advantage, and do your best work – together. Teams have more information than ever, but they’ve never been less informed As the pace of work accelerates, employees are using more tools than ever and scattering data across a graveyard of disconnected work artifacts. This leaves people struggling to find and use relevant insights, like past research results or a list of ideas brainstormed last quarter. In fact, Atlassian’s most recent State of Teams report shows Fortune 500 companies waste 2.4 billion (yes, with a “b!”) hours every year searching for information. One in two knowledge workers report that teams at their company tend to unknowingly work on the same things, and just 20% feel confident that their team has an effective process for quickly informing other teams of decisions that may impact their work. The three things teams say they need to collaborate more effectively: Clearer goals Shared processes for how to get work done Ability to easily find the exact information they need Let’s dive deeper into that third benefit and explore six practical, research‑backed habits any team – especially those who work async – can use to surface knowledge faster and make even better decisions. 6 async practices to uncover existing insights Related Article How to excel at asynchronous communication with your distributed team By Jaime Netzer In Communication 1. Write before you meet Practice: Ask team members to write their thoughts and ideas about a topic before meeting. One of the biggest challenges with making decisions in live meetings is that meetings perpetuate groupthink and introduce bias. One way to avoid this is to give people time and space to write down their thoughts before they meet. Studies comparing group brainstorming to brainwriting (individually writing ideas) find that people generate more – and more unique – ideas when they write first instead of speaking in a group. Writing slows thinking down enough for nuance and clarity to emerge. People can draft, edit, and refine instead of reacting in real time. That means a designer in Sydney can write down three thoughtful concerns about a proposed UI change, rather than trying to get a word in during a rushed, late-night call. Similarly, writing also removes pressure to respond instantly or compete for airtime, which is especially helpful for introverts, junior team members, and those from under‑represented groups. Try it: Before a meeting or working session, share a short prompt for your collaborators to answer in writing. For a planning session, it could be, “What risks do you think we’re underestimating?” For a new campaign brainstorming session, it could be, “What’s the best campaign you’ve seen lately, and why?” Ask each person to write their thoughts in a shared document before any live discussion. Let people add async follow-up comments. Start the live meeting by reviewing a summary of themes the team wrote down and any notable outliers that may influence decisions. Where you can ask AI to help: Give the tool an overview of the meeting goals, topics to discuss, and what success looks like. Then, ask it to brainstorm questions and prompts for attendees to answer in writing ahead of time. Cluster themes among the responses, and highlight outliers. Present your team’s ideas in search results when another team is looking for similar information months later. 2. Design for time-delayed contribution Practice: Give everyone an opportunity to respond before you review. Some people are fast thinkers and communicators. Others take more time to formulate and write their thoughts. Some team members may be in a different time zone or out of the office. The fastest replies often get the most attention, but speed isn’t a signal of insight or value. Building in time for everyone who wants to contribute levels the playing field and avoids missing potentially important perspectives. Research on remote and virtual teams shows people are less likely to share when they feel like they’re being watched and more likely to share when they feel psychologically safe. Encouraging collaborators to share knowledge async – and giving them more time to do so – puts them in control over when and how they show up. That creates space for more robust, thoughtful input, and fewer decisions led by whoever responded first. Try it: Set clear response windows for async comments, like “Add comments to this proposal by end of day Thursday.” Give people clear direction on what type of contributions you’re looking for. Feedback on existing ideas? New ideas? Additional context the group may not have considered? Intentional disagreement to poke holes in a concept? (See practice #3 below.) Send a reminder before the deadline, tagging people who haven’t responded (if appropriate). In your recap, you can call out key contributions that arrived later in the time window in case people who responded earlier missed them. Where you can ask AI to help: Resurface lightly engaged threads before the response window closes, and summarize who hasn’t responded yet: “Only 2 of 5 assignees have replied. You are waiting on Marcos, Jennifer, and Lynn.” Schedule reminders for the team to contribute before the deadline. Flag contributions that are significantly different from earlier responses so you don’t miss something that changes decisions. 3. Intentionally invite disagreement Practice: Build in opportunities to respectfully dissent in writing and with purpose. Humans are hardwired to avoid conflict, especially at work. But questioning, disagreement, and arguing (respectfully, of course) can expose issues, clarify confusion, and reduce the risk of bigger problems later on. Conflict also signals that people care about a particular person or topic. In async work, there aren’t as many obvious opportunities for disagreement. You’re not meeting live or talking back and forth with someone you can share your true thoughts and feelings with in real time. That’s why it’s important to build in async opportunities for team members to disagree. Inviting people to share their questions and concerns in writing, on their own time, also gives those who may not feel comfortable speaking up live or face‑to‑face – especially across power or culture gaps – space to think, write, and edit their feedback before sharing. Try it: Add standard prompts to big decisions, such as: “What are we missing?” “If this fails, why will it have failed?” “What do you disagree with, and why?” “What feels riskier than we’re admitting out loud?” “What would a smart critic say about this plan?” Add “risks and concerns” fields to planning page templates and intake forms. Add a section to retrospective and incident review templates where people can share considerate critiques of a decision or tradeoff made. Run the Sparring Play to get async feedback on an idea or piece of work. Normalize respectful questioning and dissent as a helpful contribution to quality, not as criticism or an attack. (Harvard Business School Professor Amy Edmondson shares three rules that contribute to building psychological safety, meaningful dialogue, and co-creation: listen more and speak less, build on others’ contributions, and respond to what’s emerging vs. pre-planning ideas.) Publicly thank people who disagree and say the hard stuff out loud. Show how their input shaped the outcome. Related Article 6 types of meetings that are worth your time (and 3 that aren’t) By Sarah Goff-Dupont In Teamwork Save for syncs Not every comment or conversation is appropriate for async. Opt for real-time communication if it’s: Individual one-on-ones First-time meetings with people who have never worked together Topics that are emotionally charged (performance issues, interpersonal conflicts, etc.) Project kickoffs Where you can ask AI to help: Analyze multiple messages and flag areas of repeated uncertainty or concern, like “Several people have raised concerns about privacy.” Summarize themes after a sparring session. Automatically add a step to suggested workflows to invite disagreement, instead of relying on people to remember to do it. Edit dissent messages for tone and clarity so those messages are better received, like changing “This plan is reckless and ignores basic security” to “I’m concerned this plan may introduce significant security risks that we haven’t fully evaluated yet.” 4. Separate idea generation from evaluation Practice: Don’t mix “What could we do?” with “What should we do?” There are two types of thinking: divergent and convergent. Divergent thinking is unrestricted, judgment-free, and takes a meandering path to explore all viable (and some not-so-viable) options. Convergent thinking uses logic to narrow down ideas in a structured way. Alex Osborn, who developed the creative-problem solving framework in the 1940s, noted that both types of thinking are essential to creativity. The problem is people often jump to convergent thinking as the most direct path to one “right” solution. If they don’t diverge first, they may make a short‑sighted decision and miss out on an even better solution. Try it: Break up the brainstorming or problem-solving process to diverge first, then converge. Start with divergent thinking to generate ideas (async): Share a collaborative document or form with the team for brainstorming, and ask them to share any and all observations, concerns, hypotheses, and ideas about the topic. Remind them to suspend judgment. Don’t worry about what’s been tried before or what “won’t work.” There are no good or bad ideas at this point. Encourage writing down every concept, even if it’s not certain or fully formed yet. Then evaluate ideas (later, async or sync): Shift to sharing feedback, prioritizing, and making decisions using clear criteria (e.g., impact, effort, risk). Decide which ideas become experiments, tasks/issues, or backlog items. Where you can ask AI to help: Label contributions by type (observation, risk, assumption, idea, etc.) so you can see what’s missing. Group similar ideas based on themes. Compare ideas to requirements or context to spot gaps or misalignment. Prioritize ideas based on criteria. 5. Surface summaries Practice: Share recaps of conversations and decisions with the rest of the team. Insights often get lost in conversation threads, notes, and documents. After doing any of these practices above or meeting live, share a summary of what was discussed and decided in a Slack or Teams channel, shared workspace, or wherever your team communicates. Summarizing and resurfacing information not only helps close the loop, but also means the next team doesn’t have to re‑ask the same questions or repeat the same experiment six months later. Decision logs and recap notes are consistently cited as a cornerstone of effective async collaboration, as GitLab notes in their handbook. Try it: Assign a teammate in each meeting or working session to share a recap with all stakeholders. In a simple written summary or decision log, capture: What was discussed or decided Key findings and patterns that informed the conversation and decision Points of tension or disagreement Open questions and notes to revisit later Store summaries where the team actually works, like a project’s Confluence page or Slack channel. Resurface findings at key moments: planning, retros, onboarding, or when similar work starts. Where you can ask AI to help: Add an AI notetaker, such as Loom, to your meetings to take notes and automatically share a summary. Create insight‑focused summaries, like “Here are the four main concerns and why the group chose Option B.” Schedule reminders to revisit notes, open questions, and past decisions for further review and assessment. 6. Create dedicated async “thinking spaces” Practice: Set up a document, workspace, or chat channel for random thoughts and brainstorming. Our brains work differently when they’re thinking than when they’re doing. (Both modes are equally important.) Even when we’re not thinking, like when we’re trying to fall asleep or in the shower, ideas strike at random. That’s because people generate better ideas when they have time and space to think alone, then come together to collaborate. It’s crucial to intentionally think before we do and to capture those thoughts before they disappear into the void. Async “thinking spaces” (like a Confluence page, whiteboard, or Slack channel) do exactly that: give team members a low-pressure place to jot down questions and blue‑sky ideas as they come up, instead of letting them disappear. Try it: Create a shared place as the team’s async thinking space. This space is specifically for: Questions and hypotheses, like “Is adoption suffering because of friction during onboarding?” Patterns people are noticing across customers or incidents, like “Three different tickets mentioned confusion about payment methods this week.” Ideas to revisit in the future Treat these as “slow” channels with fewer, but deeper messages and thoughts. Model the behavior by posting your own reflections, not just directives. If appropriate, share the thinking space with other teams to cross-pollinate knowledge. Where you can ask AI to help: Schedule weekly reminders to add any new ideas. Highlight emerging themes or repeated concerns, like “Social media posts featuring real customers are gaining popularity” or “Customer trust has come up 5 different times this month.” Surface themes across different projects, documents, and channels to bridge silos. How to get started: small experiments, big payoffs Async work won’t surface every insight or replace every meeting – nor should it. But when you make small, deliberate changes to the way your team writes, reflects, and disagrees, you can turn time zones and quiet personalities into a competitive advantage. Your team likely already has valuable work and hard-won lessons just waiting to be uncovered. Subscribe to Work LifeGet stories like this in your inbox Subscribe The post 6 async practices that surface buried insights (and how AI can help) appeared first on Work Life by Atlassian. View the full article

The Farmers’ Almanac isn’t going out of business after all, but it is leaving Maine for the bright lights of New York City and a new owner. Beloved by farmers and gardeners, the almanac was first printed in 1818 and — like the arguably more famous Old Farmer’s Almanac — relies on a secret formula of sunspots, planetary positions, and lunar cycles to generate long-range weather forecasts. It’s been acquired by Unofficial Networks, a digital publisher focused on skiing and outdoor recreation. That means the almanac will keep operating despite announcing in November that its 208-year run was coming to an end. A new Farmers’ Almanac website will be “a living, breathing publication with fresh, daily content” and there are plans to bring back a print edition, said Tim Konrad, founder and publisher of New York-based Unofficial Networks. “I saw the announcement that one of America’s most enduring publications was set to close,” Konrad said, “and it felt wrong to stand by while an irreplaceable piece of our national heritage disappeared.” The deal will prioritize “preserving and sustaining the iconic publication,” according to a statement from Unofficial Networks and Peter Geiger, the almanac’s longtime publisher. The Farmers’ Almanac was founded in New Jersey before moving its headquarters to Lewiston, Maine, in 1955. The Old Farmer’s Almanac is based in New Hampshire. Over the years, scientists have sometimes chafed at the publications’ predictions. Studies of their accuracy have found them to be a little more than 50% accurate. That is about on par with random chance. But Geiger, whose family had the Farmers’ Almanac for more than 90 years, said they’re “going out a winner” by having predicted a cold and snowy 2026. “For more than 200 years, the values and wisdom of the Farmers’ Almanac have been protected and nurtured by four owner-publishers,” Geiger said. “I am grateful to have found the right next custodian in Tim Konrad. I am also confident he will honor its heritage and carry it forward for generations to come.” Unofficial Networks was started in 2006 by Konrad and his brother John in a California basement, according to the company’s website. —Patrick Whittle, Associated Press View the full article

Former Fed Gov. Kevin Warsh is a relatively known quantity to financial markets, but his embrace of President The President's agenda and the White House's own contentious relationship with the central bank make it hard to know with certainty where — or even whether — he will lead the Fed. View the full article

Here’s everything you need to know about setting up an integration to sync Rovo with Salesforce work items with an automated flow from Unito. Since Unito is a completely customizable platform with a no-code interface, you can set up this integration without any technical resources and minimal maintenance. No need to troubleshoot complex automations or rely on expensive consultants, either. Overview Tools: Rovo and Salesforce Use cases: AI agent integration, record syncing Great for: Project managers, IT teams, software developers. Unito’s integration for Rovo and Salesforce allows users of any technical background, from project managers to software developers, to sync data from Salesforce work items to Rovo. This integration also syncs any updates to these work items from Salesforce to Rovo and automates repetitive actions. This in-depth guide shows you how that’s done. Why integrate Rovo with other tools? Rovo is Atlassian’s AI solution for everything from agentic AI to chatbots. It’s natively integrated with all Atlassian tools, like Jira and Trello, meaning it has access to all the work items and data in these tools. But few organizations do all their work on these platforms, and some teams need dedicated tools. Integrating Rovo with tools like Salesforce gives your Rovo agents and chatbots access to the work happening in deals, cases, contacts, and more. That leads to better answers, more intelligent agents, and automated handoffs between teams. Step 1: Connect Rovo and Salesforce to Unito Sign up for Unito. Click +Create Flow in the Unito app. Click Start Here to connect Rovo and Salesforce. Click +Choose Account for each tool and complete the authorization process. Click Confirm. Connecting tools to Unito for the first time? Here’s an in-depth guide. Step 2: Choose flow direction for new work items With flow direction, you decide where Unito automatically creates work items to match those you create manually. For most Unito integrations, you can choose between a two-way flow that creates work items in both tools or a one-way flow that only creates new items in one tool. With Unito’s Rovo integration, you can only build one-way flows that sync data from other tools to Rovo, feeding context to your AI agents and chatbots. Want to know more about flow direction? Check out this guide. Step 3: Set rules to sync specific Rovo and Salesforce work items Unito rules can do two things: Filter out work items you don’t want synced. For example, you could create a rule that only syncs Salesforce deals created after a certain date. Automate certain actions, like automatically creating new work items based on events in Salesforce. To start building your rule, click Add new rule, then choose a trigger and action. Want to learn more about rules? Check out this guide. Step 4: Map fields between Rovo and Salesforce When you map fields, you pair fields in Rovo with fields in Salesforce so data goes exactly where it needs to. Unito can usually map most fields automatically, whether they’re exactly the same (Creation Date→Creation Date) or just compatible (Creation Date→CreatedAt). You can also choose to map fields manually to customize your flow. Here’s what you’ll see when Unito maps your fields automatically. You can add a field mapping by clicking +Add mapping, then Select a field. When you choose the field you want to map in one tool, Unito will automatically recommend compatible fields in a dropdown under the other tool. Some fields have a cog icon, meaning you can customize them once they’re mapped. For example, a Status field can be customized so its options match those in another field. Step 5: Launch your Rovo-Salesforce integration That’s it! You’re ready to launch your flow. Unito will automatically sync data from Salesforce cases, contacts, deals, and more to Rovo, so your chatbots and AI agents always have maximum context when answering questions or automating tasks. This allows your teams to get more out every AI interaction, knowing they’re getting data from across your tool ecosystem—not just Atlassian tools. Ready to optimize your workflow? Meet with our team to see what Unito can do for your workflows. Talk with sales FAQ: Rovo-Salesforce integration Why should I integrate Rovo with Salesforce? Rovo is Atlassian’s AI solution for tools like Jira, Trello, and Bitbucket. It automatically pulls data from these tools to train chatbots and AI agents, meaning developers, project managers, and other users can use AI assistants to do their best work. But if you use Salesforce, Rovo doesn’t have access to that data. That’s why integrations are so essential; they feed data from other platforms to Rovo so your AI features have more context. What’s the best way to integrate Rovo and Salesforce? Few integration providers actually integrate with Rovo, since this tool is so new. Atlassian does offer pre-built connectors, but they have varying levels of depth, meaning you might only get some context from other tools in Rovo. Unito’s integrations are some of the deepest on the market, and they support a wide range of tools from project management apps to ITSM tools and databases. That makes them one of the best way to integrate Rovo with Salesforce. What’s next after integrating Rovo with Salesforce? Need to integrate Rovo with other tools in your stack? Check out our other guides: Syncing Rovo with Asana More about Unito’s Rovo integration Looking to integrate Salesforce with other tools? Check out these guides: Integrating Salesforce with Jira Connecting Salesforce with Trello Syncing Salesforce with ServiceNow View the full article

Financial markets are churning on Friday as investors try to figure out what President Donald The President’s new nominee to lead the Federal Reserve will mean for interest rates. The initial reactions were uneasy because of the uncertainty. U.S. stocks fell, with the S&P 500 down 0.8% in midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 507 points, or 1%, as of 1 p.m. ET, and the Nasdaq composite was 1% lower. The value of the U.S. dollar, meanwhile, climbed, but only after swiveling a couple of times following The President’s nomination of Kevin Warsh. And some of the wildest action was again in precious metals markets, where the price of gold screeched lower following its stellar run over the last year. Whoever leads the Fed has a big influence on the economy and markets worldwide by helping to dictate where the U.S. central bank moves interest rates. Such decisions lift or weigh on prices for all kinds of investments, as the Fed tries to keep the U.S. job market humming without letting inflation get out of control. The President has been pushing for lower interest rates, which usually help goose the economy but can also cause higher inflation. A fear in financial markets has been that the Fed will lose some of its independence because of The President. That fear in turn helped catapult the price of gold and weaken the U.S. dollar’s value over the last year. The longtime assumption has been that the Fed can operate separately from the rest of Washington so that it can make decisions that are painful in the short term but necessary for the long term. To get inflation down to the Fed’s goal of 2%, for example, may require the unpopular choice to keep interest rates high and grind down on the economy for a while. The big question is what Warsh’s nomination, which still requires approval from the Senate, means for the Fed’s independence. Warsh used to be a governor on the Fed’s board, so investors are familiar with him. That could also mean Warsh is familiar with and hopes to continue the institution of the Fed as an independent operator. And while with the Fed, Warsh criticized the central bank’s buying of bonds to keep interest rates low. Some on Wall Street took Warsh’s nomination as an encouraging signal for a still-independent Fed that will keep rates high, if necessary. But Warsh has also recently been critical of the Fed’s current chair, Jerome Powell, and has voiced support for lower rates. “Indeed, Warsh is not the Fed’s guy, he is The President’s guy, and has shadowed The President on monetary policy almost every step of the way since 2009,” according to Thierry Wizman, a strategist at Macquarie Group. “This doesn’t necessarily mean that Warsh will push the Fed into rate cuts soon,” but it could indicate he may be quicker to do so when the time comes. On Wall Street, stocks of metals miners tumbled as the price of gold dropped 8.9%, to $4,878.80 per ounce. Gold’s price has suddenly run out of momentum following a tremendous rally where it roughly doubled over 12 months. It topped $5,000 for the first time on Monday and got near $5,600 on Thursday. Silver, which has been on a similar, jaw-dropping tear, fell even more. It plunged 23.5%. Prices for gold and other precious metals had been surging as investors looked for safer places for their money while weighing a wide range of risks, including a potentially less independent Fed, a U.S. stock market that critics say is expensive, political instability, threats of tariffs, and heavy debt loads for governments worldwide. The dramatic halt in momentum may have been inevitable, given how far and how fast metal prices had surged over the last year. Nothing goes up in price forever. Friday’s drops for metals prices helped send the stock of miner Newmont down 10.9%. Freeport-McMoRan, another miner, dropped 8.4%. Apple was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after sinking 1.4%, even though the iPhone maker reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Helping to limit the market’s losses was Tesla, which rose 4.3%. It bounced back after dropping on Thursday despite delivering better profit reports for the latest quarter than analysts expected. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury held at 4.24%, where it was late Thursday. It got near 4.28% in the overnight and early-morning hours before falling back. A rise in a bond’s yield indicates that its price is weakening. Yields may have felt some upward pressure from a report released Friday showing U.S. inflation at the wholesale level was hotter last month than economists expected. That could put pressure on the Fed to keep interest rates steady for a while instead of cutting them, as it did late last year. In stock markets abroad, indexes rose in much of Europe following a mixed performance in Asia. Stocks rose 1.2% in Jakarta after the CEO of Indonesia’s stock market, Imam Rachman, resigned Friday. Stocks had stumbled there in prior days after MSCI, an influential company in the investment industry that creates stock and other indexes, warned about market risks such as a lack of transparency. —By Stan Choe, AP business writer AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. View the full article

On episode 339 of PPC Live The Podcast, I speak to Kirk Williams, a long-time PPC professional who’s been in the industry since 2009. Kirk is the founder of Zato, a specialist PPC micro-agency, and the author of Ponderings of a PPC Professional and Stop the Scale. He’s also a familiar face on the global conference circuit, speaking at events like BrightonSEO, SMX, HeroConf, and more. The big f-Up: Taking on the wrong clients Kirk’s biggest mistake wasn’t a platform error or a bad bid — it was taking on clients who weren’t a good fit. He explains that these decisions often came during moments of pressure: wanting to grow quickly, dealing with client churn, or navigating tougher economic periods. In those moments, warning signs were present, but ignored. The result? Short-lived client relationships that drained time, energy, and morale. Why “bad fit” clients are so costly Kirk is careful to define “bad” not as morally wrong, but simply misaligned. A poor fit client creates several hidden costs: Emotional tax: Team members become drained by friction, conflict, and constant tension. Time tax: More calls, more explanations, more conflict resolution. Financial tax: Reduced profitability and, in some cases, refunded fees just to exit cleanly. Over time, these costs compound and take focus away from clients where the agency can truly deliver value. Red flags Kirk wishes he’d acted on sooner Looking back at one particular client, Kirk shares several early warning signs he now takes far more seriously: Emotionally immature communication during discovery Aggressive or defensive reactions to pricing discussions Lack of respect for the agency as a separate business with its own boundaries A mindset that the agency exists solely to “serve” the client These behaviors often signal deeper issues that surface later as unrealistic expectations and ongoing conflict. Fit is about personality and expectations Kirk emphasizes that fit isn’t only about whether someone is “nice.” You can have a pleasant contact who still isn’t a good match. A major issue arises when clients expect PPC to outperform what the channel is realistically capable of delivering. If a business believes Google Ads alone should drive all growth — without brand, CRO, or other marketing channels — the relationship is set up to fail. When expectations and reality don’t align, no amount of optimization will fix it. The industry fit reality check Some industries and client types simply aren’t a fit for every agency. Kirk openly shares that he avoids legal clients, not because they’re “bad,” but because the typical communication style and expectations don’t align with how he and his team work. Fit is personal. Knowing who you don’t want to work with is just as important as knowing who you do. The discovery process as a detective exercise To solve the client-fit problem, Kirk overhauled his discovery process. Instead of selling first, he focuses on understanding. Key areas he probes: Why the prospect is looking for an agency now How they believe PPC fits into their overall marketing strategy Whether they understand trade-offs between scale and efficiency What they disliked — and liked — about their previous agency One standout question: “What’s something you liked about your last agency?” If a prospect can’t answer it, that’s often a signal of unrealistic expectations rather than poor past performance. Asking better questions improves sales, too Counterintuitively, Kirk says deeper discovery doesn’t hurt sales — it improves them. Prospects can sense genuine curiosity and alignment. By the time pricing is discussed, both sides already understand whether the relationship makes sense. The result is fewer rushed decisions, fewer failed engagements, and far stronger long-term partnerships. PPC isn’t a standalone growth strategy Both Anu and Kirk reinforce a critical point: PPC cannot — and should not — carry an entire business on its own. Paid search works best as part of a broader marketing ecosystem that includes brand, product, customer experience, and other channels. When clients expect PPC to do “all the heavy lifting,” it’s a structural problem, not a performance one. Final thoughts: protect your team and yourself The biggest takeaway from this episode is simple but powerful: vetting clients is a mental health strategy as much as a business one. Strong discovery processes protect agencies, consultants, and in-house teams from burnout, resentment, and constant uphill battles. Saying “no” early can be far healthier — and more profitable — than saying “yes” to the wrong opportunity. View the full article

Before you head out to a protest, take some precautions to protect your privacy and both the physical and digital security of any device you bring along. The most secure option, of course, is to leave your phone at home, but you can also lock things down to minimize the risk that your data will be accessible to law enforcement or someone who gets hold of your device. Thankfully, both iOS and Android have built-in device encryption if you're using a passcode, meaning that your device's data cannot be accessed when it is locked. (On Android, go to Settings > Security to ensure Encrypt Disk is enabled). You'll want to maximize this protection with the following privacy settings. Turn off face and fingerprint scanningAt an absolute minimum, you'll want to disable biometric access, such as face and fingerprint authentication, on your device in favor of a passcode or PIN. As the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes, this minimizes the risk of being physically forced to unlock your device and may provide stronger legal protections against compelled decryption. On iOS, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode and toggle off iPhone Unlock. You can also set up a stronger passcode—a custom numeric or alphanumeric code—under Change Passcode. On Android, you'll find the option to delete your fingerprint in favor of your PIN or screen lock pattern under Settings > Security & Privacy > Device Unlock > Fingerprint. Limit location trackingAgain, the best option to prevent your location from being tracked is to coordinate any details in advance and leave your phone at home. If you must bring it along, keep it off unless you absolutely need to use it. You can turn on Airplane Mode in advance, as well as disable Bluetooth, wifi, and location services, which keeps your device from transmitting your location. However, note that some apps may still be able to store GPS data and transmit it when an internet connection is available—so again, the safest bet is to keep your device off for the duration. Airplane Mode can be enabled (and wifi and Bluetooth disabled) in your device's settings or quick access menu. On Android, go to Settings > Location to disable location services and turn off Location History in your Google account. On iOS, head to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services to disable locations entirely. Turn off previews and notificationsTemporarily disable notifications and screen previews so that if someone gets your device, they won't be able to glean any information from your lock screen. You can adjust these options under Settings > Notifications on iOS and Settings > Apps & notifications > Notifications on Android. Adjust screen lock timeMinimize your screen lock time to as short a period as possible so that your screen turns off when you're not actively using it and will require authentication to reopen. On iOS, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and select 30 seconds. The exact path on Android may vary, but typically you'll find this under Settings > Display or Lock Screen. Know that most devices have camera access from the lock screen, so you can take photos or record video without actually unlocking your device. Enable app pinning or Guided AccessApp pinning (Android) and Guided Access (iOS) are features that prevent others from navigating through your phone beyond a specific app or screen. This allows you to use an essential feature on your device while locking the rest behind your PIN or passcode. You can enable this preemptively, and if someone grabs your device, they won't be able to snoop around. You can find this setting on Android under Security or Security & location > Advanced > App pinning and on iOS under Settings > Accessibility > Guided Access. Use a SIM PINYou can also lock your SIM card to prevent unauthorized use of your device or SIM card, including access to two-factor authentication codes sent via SMS. This PIN will be required any time your phone restarts or if someone tries to use your SIM card in another device. On iOS, go to Settings > Cellular, select your SIM, and tap SIM PIN. On Android, you'll find this under Settings > Security > More security settings (the exact path varies by device). Sign out of, hide, or delete appsThis step will vary depending on what you keep on your phone and your risk tolerance, but you may want to consider signing out of your social media accounts and deleting apps that contain or allow access to sensitive data. On iOS, you can also lock or hide specific apps: the former requires an extra authentication step to open apps on your home screen, while the latter sends apps to a hidden folder that also requires authentication to unlock. Touch and hold an app icon to bring up the quick actions menu, then tap Require Face ID/Require Passcode. On Android, you can set up a "private space" to lock apps behind your pattern, PIN, or password. Apps are hidden from the launcher and recent views as well as quick search. Go to Settings > Security & privacy > Private space, authenticate with your screen lock, and tap Set up > Got it. If necessary, turn on Lockdown Mode or Advanced ProtectionBoth iOS and Android have strict device-level security modes that significantly limit access to certain app and web features as well as blocking changes to settings. Both were designed with journalists, activists, and other users with access to sensitive data that may be targeted by cyber actors in mind. These settings are overkill for day-to-day use but add a potentially helpful layer of security in high-risk situations. Enable Lockdown Mode on iOS via Settings > Privacy & Security > Lockdown Mode. On Android, turn on Advanced Protection under Settings > Security & privacy > Advanced Protection. Protect your privacy after a protestWhile the above steps are largely about securing your data during a protest, you should also follow best practices for protecting privacy (yours and others') after the fact. If you plan to post photos or videos, utilize blurring tools to block faces and other unique identifying features, and scrub file metadata, which includes information like photo location. You can do this by taking a screenshot of the image to post or sending a copy to yourself in Signal, which automatically strips metadata. Signal also has a photo blurring tool, or you can blur in your device's default photo editing app. View the full article

If you enter a query into Quili.AI on January 31, your question won’t be answered by a large language model, but instead by residents from the Chilean community of Quilicura. The project aims to replace artificial intelligence with “analog intelligence,” to both highlight the environmental impact of AI, and to get people thinking consciously about their AI use. “We’re inviting people to have a day without AI,” Lorena Antiman from Corporación NGEN, an environmental organization focused in part on protecting Quilicura’s wetlands, says while speaking through a translator. Corporación NGEN spearheaded the project. Instead of going through a data center, each prompt into the “chatbot” will be answered directly by Quilicura residents. Artists, teachers, and others in the community will all meet in one place on Saturday, ready to respond to the queries. Quilicura and data centers The people of Quilicura, Chile are directly living with the impact of AI data centers. The community is located on the edge of Santiago, which is becoming a data center hub: 16 such facilities have been approved for construction there since 2012. Data centers both use immense amounts of energy, and lots of water to cool the servers. Understanding AI water use can be complicated, but some experts have tried to quantify it. A 2024 Washington Post article says that generating a 100 word email with GPT-4 requires 519 milliliters of water, or just over a bottle. Google opened its first Latin American data center in Quilicura in 2015. That facility uses 50 liters of water a second—or the same as 8,000 Chilean households—the New York Times reported in 2025, based on environmental records filed with the government. (Google says the sites used less water the year prior, about the same water use as a golf course.) This data center boom from tech companies is happening as Chile experiences a 15-year megadrought. The country is expected to lead the world in terms of water stress by 2040. Community activists in Quilicura have highlighted the impact of these data centers by showing before and after photos of the region’s wetlands, appearing dry even during the rainy season. How Quili.AI works Up to 50 community members will be participating in the day without AI, ready to respond to Quili.AI prompts over the 24 hours of January 31 only. Each of them will bring their unique skills to the task. Prompt Quili.Ai to make a certain image, and a local artist will draw it. Ask Quili.AI for a recipe, and someone will share their own. “Or need something explained to you like you’re 5?” a community member says in a video promoting the action. “Ask Mateo. He’s 5.” Instead of servers and cloud computing, community members will use their own experiences, their cultural knowledge, and their human judgment. Responses may not be immediate, but Antiman says they’ll do their best to reply to as many queries as they can. And though the humans powering this “analog intelligence” are local to Quilicara, the organizers say anyone can use the tool. Instilling better AI habits Antiman hopes the action helps people think more responsibly about what they turn to AI for, and if their prompts are worth the resources they require. Just like we’re taught to turn off lights when we leave a room, or to not run water while we brush their teeth, she hopes people can learn better AI habits. Many people may simply not be aware of the impacts of using AI. Antiman is a teacher, and she says her students are surprised when she highlights those effects. “They don’t know the consequences of the way they’re using AI,” she says. The day without AI is also an invitation, she adds, for people to look to their own neighbors or communities for knowledge. Maybe your neighbor knows how to change a tire, or another already has a recipe for cupcakes, so you don’t need to ask ChatGPT. This connection between real people is what makes the Quili.AI project so exciting to Antiman. “The most magical thing about it is the community is the one working on it,” she says. “They’re all coming together to make this happen.” View the full article

Federal prosecutors can’t seek the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a federal judge ruled Friday, foiling the The President administration’s bid to see him executed for what it called a “premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America.” Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed a federal murder charge that had enabled prosecutors to seek capital punishment, finding it technically flawed. She wrote that she did so to “foreclose the death penalty as an available punishment to be considered by the jury” as it weighs whether to convict Mangione. Garnett also dismissed a gun charge but left in place stalking charges that carry a maximum punishment of life in prison. To seek the death penalty, prosecutors needed to show that Mangione killed Thompson while committing another “crime of violence.” Stalking doesn’t fit that definition, Garnett wrote in her opinion, citing case law and legal precedents. In a win for prosecutors, Garnett ruled they can use evidence collected from his backpack during his arrest, including a 9mm handgun and a notebook in which authorities say Mangione described his intent to “wack” an insurance executive. Mangione’s lawyers had sought to exclude those items, arguing the search was illegal because police hadn’t yet obtained a warrant. During a hearing Friday, Garnett gave prosecutors 30 days to update her on whether they’ll appeal her death penalty decision. A spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan, which is prosecuting the federal case, declined to comment. Garnett acknowledged that the decision “may strike the average person — and indeed many lawyers and judges — as tortured and strange, and the result may seem contrary to our intuitions about the criminal law.” But, she said, it reflected her “committed effort to faithfully apply the dictates of the Supreme Court to the charges in this case. The law must be the Court’s only concern.” Mangione, 27, appeared relaxed as he sat with his lawyers during the scheduled hearing, which took place about an hour after Garnett issued her written ruling. Prosecutors retained their right to appeal but said they were ready to proceed to trial. Outside court afterward, Mangione’s attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo said her client and his defense team were relieved by the “incredible decision.” Jury selection in the federal case is set for Sept. 8, followed by opening statements and testimony on Oct. 13. The state trial’s date hasn’t been set. On Wednesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office urged the judge in that case to schedule a July 1 trial date. “That case is none of my concern,” Garnett said, adding that she would proceed as if the federal case is the only case unless she hears formally from parties involved in the state case. She also said the federal case will be paused if the government appeals her death penalty ruling. Thompson, 50, was killed on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to a midtown Manhattan hotel for UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used by critics to describe how insurers avoid paying claims. Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (about 370 kilometers) west of Manhattan. Following through on The President’s campaign promise to vigorously pursue capital punishment, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors last April to seek the death penalty against Mangione. It was the first time the Justice Department sought the death penalty in President Donald The President’s second term. He returned to office a year ago with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under his predecessor, President Joe Biden. Garnett, a Biden appointee and former Manhattan federal prosecutor, ruled after hearing oral arguments earlier this month. Besides seeking to have the death penalty rejected on the grounds Garnett cited, Mangione’s lawyers argued that Bondi’s announcement flouted long-established Justice Department protocols and was “based on politics, not merit.” They said her remarks, followed by posts to her Instagram account and a TV appearance, “indelibly prejudiced” the grand jury process resulting in his indictment weeks later. Prosecutors urged Garnett to keep the death penalty on the table, arguing that the charges were legally sound and Bondi’s remarks weren’t prejudicial, as “pretrial publicity, even when intense, is not itself a constitutional defect.” Prosecutors argued that careful questioning of prospective jurors would alleviate the defense’s concerns about their knowledge of the case and ensure Mangione’s rights are respected at trial. “What the defendant recasts as a constitutional crisis is merely a repackaging of arguments” rejected in previous cases, prosecutors said. “None warrants dismissal of the indictment or categorical preclusion of a congressionally authorized punishment.” —Michael R. Sisak and Larry Neumeister, Associated Press View the full article

Talent acquisition involves a strategic approach to finding and hiring qualified candidates who fit your organization’s needs. It’s not just about filling vacancies; it includes employer branding, creating a positive candidate experience, and implementing diversity initiatives. By focusing on building a talent pipeline, you can address both current and future staffing challenges. Comprehending how these components work together can improve your hiring process greatly, but there’s much more to investigate in this evolving field. Key Takeaways Talent acquisition involves identifying and attracting qualified candidates through strategic employer branding and candidate sourcing. The process includes assessing candidates based on relevant skills, rather than just traditional qualifications. Building a positive candidate experience is crucial, emphasizing timely communication and feedback throughout the hiring process. Implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies enhances the candidate pool and fosters innovation. Ongoing relationship management with potential candidates helps maintain a strong talent pipeline for future staffing needs. Definition of Talent Acquisition Talent acquisition is an vital strategic process that organizations use to identify, attract, and hire qualified candidates who align with their business goals. A talent acquisition specialist plays an important role in this process, focusing on building a strong candidate pipeline rather than merely filling immediate vacancies. So, what does talent acquisition do? It encompasses various activities such as employer branding, candidate sourcing, assessment, and onboarding. This strategic approach leverages data analytics to improve decision-making, ensuring that hiring strategies are optimized for success. By prioritizing a diverse and inclusive workforce, talent acquisition promotes innovation and helps adapt to changing labor market dynamics. In the end, effective talent acquisition aims to lower employee turnover rates, boost productivity, and improve overall employee engagement within the organization. Key Components of Talent Acquisition Effective talent acquisition hinges on several key components that work in harmony to attract and secure top talent. First, employer branding plays an important role, showcasing your organization’s values and culture, often led by marketing or HR teams. Skills-based hiring shifts the focus from traditional criteria like education to evaluating candidates based on their relevant skills, broadening the candidate pool considerably. A positive candidate experience is fundamental; offering timely communication and constructive feedback during the hiring process builds trust and engagement among potential hires. Moreover, promoting internal mobility encourages the growth and development of existing employees for open positions, which improves engagement and retention. Finally, implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategies is critical, as diverse teams stimulate innovation, and inclusive practices help attract underrepresented candidates, ensuring a well-rounded workforce. These components together create a robust talent acquisition strategy. Talent Acquisition vs. Recruitment Grasping the distinction between talent acquisition and recruitment is crucial for organizations aiming to build a strong workforce. Talent acquisition takes a proactive, strategic approach, focusing on long-term workforce planning and establishing a talent pipeline. Conversely, recruitment is primarily reactive, centered around filling immediate job vacancies. While recruitment typically involves short-term hiring for specific roles, talent acquisition includes broader activities like employer branding, candidate experience, and workforce analytics. The talent acquisition process encompasses identifying future skill needs and sourcing candidates, whereas recruitment focuses solely on screening and selecting applicants for open positions. Effective talent acquisition strategies address both current hiring needs and future requirements, ensuring organizations are prepared for upcoming challenges. This ongoing relationship-building with potential candidates and a strong employer brand differentiates talent acquisition from recruitment’s immediate candidate engagement and placement focus. Grasping these differences can improve your organization’s hiring success and workforce stability. Importance of Talent Acquisition Comprehending the significance of talent acquisition is vital for organizations aiming to align their workforce skills with overall goals. Effective talent acquisition impacts your productivity and competitiveness, ensuring you have the right people in place. By sourcing both active and passive candidates, you can build a diverse and skilled talent pool. Without a clear strategy, you might struggle to market your organization, making it hard to attract top talent. Here’s a table highlighting the importance of talent acquisition: Key Benefits Effects on Organization Outcomes Aligns skills with goals Increases productivity Improved competitiveness Builds a strong pipeline Addresses current and future needs Enhanced organizational resilience Reduces turnover Boosts employee engagement Positive impact on performance Investing in talent acquisition is fundamental for long-term success, leading to lower turnover rates and higher employee engagement. Talent Acquisition Strategy Development When developing a talent acquisition strategy, it’s fundamental to align it with your organization’s overall strategy to support business objectives and long-term growth. Start by evaluating future resource planning, which involves identifying skill gaps and forecasting staffing needs based on anticipated market changes and organizational goals. Creating a talent pipeline is important; this means maintaining relationships with potential candidates, ensuring a steady flow of qualified applicants for both current and future roles. Don’t underestimate the importance of employer branding, as a strong brand not just attracts quality candidates but additionally differentiates your organization in a competitive job market. Finally, keep in mind that continuous evaluation and adaptation of your strategy are indispensable. This helps you respond effectively to changing labor market dynamics, improving your recruitment processes and outcomes over time. The Talent Acquisition Process The talent acquisition process starts with effective candidate sourcing strategies that attract top talent through various channels like job boards and social media. You’ll engage in a thorough assessment and selection process to identify the best candidates, which includes screening resumes and conducting interviews. Finally, you’ll guarantee a smooth progression for new hires through careful onboarding, setting the stage for their success within your organization. Candidate Sourcing Strategies In today’s competitive job market, effective candidate sourcing strategies are essential for attracting a diverse and qualified pool of applicants. You can utilize various channels like job boards, social media, and professional networks to reach potential candidates. Engaging with passive candidates and building a talent pipeline helps maintain relationships for future hiring needs. Implementing skills-based hiring techniques allows you to focus on relevant skills instead of just formal education or past experience, broadening your candidate pool. Furthermore, leveraging data-driven sourcing methods, like talent analytics and AI tools, improves your decision-making by identifying effective channels and candidate profiles. Regularly evaluating your sourcing strategies against key metrics, such as time to fill and candidate quality, guarantees continuous improvement in your talent acquisition process. Assessment and Selection Process During the evaluation of candidates, it’s essential to implement a structured selection process that guarantees a strong fit for both the role and the organization. This involves thorough evaluations through structured interviews, skill assessments, and background checks. By utilizing data-driven tools and HR software, you can streamline the screening process, quickly identifying candidates with relevant skills. Engaging stakeholders like hiring managers and team leaders during this phase improves insights on candidate evaluations, aligning selections with team needs and culture. Standardized interview questions and assessment criteria help reduce biases, ensuring fair evaluations. Moreover, continuously refining the selection process based on metrics, such as first-year turnover, can greatly enhance future hiring decisions and overall talent acquisition effectiveness. Best Practices for Effective Talent Acquisition Effective talent acquisition can greatly impact an organization’s success, especially when you implement best practices that attract and retain top talent. First, develop a strong employer brand, as 70% of job seekers consider this before applying. A compelling brand can draw quality candidates to your organization. Next, adopt a skills-based hiring approach, which focuses on relevant skills instead of traditional qualifications like degrees. This broadens your candidate pool and helps you discover hidden talent. Maintaining open communication with candidates throughout the hiring process improves their experience, increasing engagement and trust by 50%. Furthermore, implement a robust talent pipeline strategy to guarantee a steady flow of qualified candidates, reducing your time-to-hire by up to 30%. Finally, regularly monitor key performance metrics, such as candidate satisfaction scores and first-year turnover rates, to refine your talent acquisition strategies and achieve better outcomes over time. Leveraging Technology in Talent Acquisition As organizations aim to improve their talent acquisition processes, leveraging technology has become essential for staying competitive in today’s job market. Utilizing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) automates job postings and streamlines the application process, improving efficiency in candidate management. AI-driven tools analyze vast amounts of candidate data, allowing you to make data-driven decisions and speed up sourcing and selection. Virtual interview platforms facilitate remote hiring, connecting you with a broader talent pool and reducing time-to-fill metrics. Additionally, integrating talent acquisition software with HR analytics tools provides insights into recruitment metrics like candidate Net Promoter Scores (cNPS) and time-to-hire, helping you refine your strategies effectively. Implementing chatbots in your recruitment process improves candidate engagement, offering real-time responses to inquiries and enhancing the overall candidate experience. Talent Acquisition Metrics and Analytics Grasping talent acquisition metrics and analytics is essential for optimizing your hiring processes and ensuring you attract the right candidates. By measuring various metrics, you can gain insights into the effectiveness of your recruitment strategies. Key metrics include the Candidate Net Promoter Score (cNPS) for applicant satisfaction, and Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) to assess loyalty and satisfaction among current employees. Here’s a quick overview of important metrics: Metric Purpose Importance cNPS Measures applicant satisfaction Improves candidate experience eNPS Gauges employee loyalty Indicates retention effectiveness Time to Fill Assesses recruitment efficiency Streamlines hiring processes First-Year Turnover Reveals match effectiveness with roles/culture Improves selection accuracy Utilizing these analytics helps you make data-driven decisions, ultimately enhancing your hiring outcomes. Trends Influencing Talent Acquisition In today’s swiftly evolving job market, talent acquisition strategies are undergoing significant transformations to keep pace with new realities. As companies adapt, several trends are shaping how they attract and hire talent: Remote Work: The shift toward remote work allows organizations to source candidates from a wider geographical area, enhancing access to diverse talent pools. Artificial Intelligence: Many companies are leveraging IBM Watson and data analytics to streamline recruitment processes, improve candidate screening, and minimize bias in hiring decisions. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): There’s a stronger focus on creating inclusive job descriptions and recruitment processes to better represent underrepresented groups. Employee Experience Metrics: Organizations increasingly integrate metrics like candidate satisfaction and retention rates to refine their hiring strategies and boost overall performance. These trends highlight the need for innovative approaches in talent acquisition, ensuring companies remain competitive in attracting top talent. Building a Strong Employer Brand Building a strong employer brand is essential for attracting and retaining top talent in today’s competitive job market. A well-defined employer brand communicates your organization’s values, culture, and mission, helping you attract candidates who align with these attributes. This alignment can lead to a 50% reduction in turnover rates and a 28% increase in job applications. To effectively build your employer brand, utilize various platforms like social media and career websites. Showcase employee testimonials, culture, and benefits to improve the overall candidate experience. Moreover, organizations with a strong employer brand can see a 20% increase in employee engagement, which directly correlates to higher productivity and retention rates. Benefit Impact Strategy Reduced turnover 50% decrease Align values and culture Increased job applications 28% increase Showcase testimonials on platforms Improved employee engagement 20% increase Promote culture and benefits The Future of Talent Acquisition As the terrain of talent acquisition evolves, organizations must adapt to the growing influence of technology and changing workforce dynamics. The future of talent acquisition will focus on several key areas: Technological Integration: Advanced technologies like AI and machine learning will improve candidate sourcing and streamline recruitment processes. Skills-Based Hiring: Organizations will prioritize skills over traditional education, broadening the candidate pool and nurturing inclusivity. Remote Work Adaptation: With remote and hybrid models on the rise, talent acquisition strategies will leverage digital platforms for virtual assessments. Data-Driven Decisions: Continuous improvement will rely on analytics to track KPIs, including time to hire and employee retention rates. Moreover, the emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will drive organizations to create inclusive hiring practices. In the end, this will promote diverse talent pipelines that encourage innovation and success. Frequently Asked Questions What Do You Do in Talent Acquisition? In talent acquisition, you identify and recruit skilled candidates by developing effective strategies. You create engaging job descriptions, utilize various sourcing channels, and build a strong talent pipeline. Evaluating candidates through structured interviews, skill evaluations, and background checks guarantees they align with your organization’s culture and requirements. You maintain relationships with both active and passive candidates, as you track metrics like time to fill and retention rates to refine your hiring processes continuously. What Are the 5 C’s of Talent? The 5 C’s of talent are essential for effective candidate assessment. First, competence measures the skills necessary for job performance. Character reflects a candidate’s integrity and values, ensuring they fit the organizational culture. Compatibility assesses how well a candidate aligns with team dynamics. Contribution evaluates their potential impact on the organization’s success, as well as commitment gauges their dedication and loyalty. Together, these elements help you identify the best candidates for your organization. What Are the 7 Stages of Recruitment? The seven stages of recruitment start with job analysis and planning, where you define the role and its requirements. Next, you source candidates through job boards, social media, and referrals. After that, you screen and shortlist applicants, often using technology like ATS. The process continues with interviewing candidates, selecting the best fit, offering the job, and finally onboarding new hires to guarantee they integrate smoothly into your organization. What Is the Highest Salary for Talent Acquisition? The highest salary for talent acquisition professionals can exceed $250,000, especially in senior roles like Chief Talent Officer. In competitive industries, such as technology and finance, managers and directors typically earn between $90,000 and $150,000. Specialized roles focusing on executive recruitment or high-demand fields, like data science, might reach $300,000. Geographic location greatly impacts salaries, with major cities like San Francisco and New York often offering the highest compensation packages. Conclusion In summary, talent acquisition is a crucial process that goes beyond mere recruitment. It involves strategic planning, skill assessment, and the use of data analytics to build a strong workforce aligned with organizational goals. By focusing on employer branding, DEI initiatives, and candidate experience, companies can create a talent pipeline that supports both current and future needs. As trends evolve, staying adaptable and informed will be key to successful talent acquisition and long-term organizational growth. Image via Google Gemini and ArtSmart This article, "What Does Talent Acquisition Involve?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Online employee payroll is a digital solution that simplifies how businesses manage employee compensation, tax deductions, and withholdings. It operates through secure cloud-based platforms, allowing employers to calculate wages accurately and efficiently. Employees can access their pay stubs and tax documents through self-service portals. By automating these processes, online payroll reduces errors and guarantees compliance with regulations. Nevertheless, various factors influence its effectiveness, and comprehending these can help you make informed decisions about your payroll needs. Key Takeaways Online employee payroll is a cloud-based system that automates wage calculations, tax withholdings, and deductions for employees. It allows employers to access payroll information from anywhere, reducing manual errors in processing. The system provides employee self-service portals for viewing pay stubs and important tax forms like W-2s and 1099s. Data security is ensured through encryption, secure servers, and user authentication, maintaining compliance with regulations like GDPR and CCPA. Future enhancements include AI for accuracy, real-time processing for instant wage access, and mobile applications for tracking hours and managing benefits. Understanding Online Employee Payroll Online employee payroll systems, which are cloud-based, streamline the payroll process by automating the calculation of wages, tax withholdings, and deductions. You can access these systems from anywhere with an internet connection using a payroll online login. This convenience allows businesses to manage payroll efficiently, reducing the risk of manual errors. To process payments accurately, you’ll need to input crucial information, like salary or hourly rates, tax status, and employee bank details. The system calculates gross pay based on hours worked for hourly employees or set salaries for salaried staff. It then applies necessary deductions before disbursing net pay. Additionally, online employee payroll systems often include features like direct deposit, year-end tax form generation, and reporting tools that help track labor costs and compliance with payroll laws. Key Components of Online Payroll Systems When businesses implement online payroll systems, they gain access to a variety of key components that improve efficiency and accuracy in payroll processing. These systems automate wage calculations based on input data like hourly rates or salaries, ensuring compliance with tax regulations. They likewise manage tax withholdings and generate year-end forms such as W-2s and 1099s, simplifying tax filing for everyone involved. Additionally, many online payroll platforms feature self-service portals, allowing employees to view pay stubs and update personal information, enhancing transparency. Security is paramount; these systems utilize secure servers and advanced encryption to protect sensitive payroll data, ensuring compliance with data protection laws. Many platforms likewise offer time tracking and attendance management features that integrate seamlessly with payroll calculations, reducing errors and improving overall efficiency. Component Description Wage Calculation Automates calculations based on input data Tax Management Manages withholdings and generates forms Employee Self-Service Portal Provides access to payroll information How Online Payroll Services Function To streamline payroll processing, online payroll services automate the calculation of employee wages using input data like salary levels, hourly rates, and tax statuses. These systems manage tax withholdings, guaranteeing that the correct amount is deducted from each paycheck, and they automatically generate year-end tax forms, such as W-2s and 1099s, for employees and contractors. Payments are processed through direct deposit, allowing employees to receive their salaries directly into their bank accounts on time. For hourly employees, these services offer real-time tracking of hours worked, enhancing accuracy in wage calculations and reducing errors. Furthermore, online payroll services provide detailed reporting tools that help you track labor costs and verify compliance with payroll regulations. This all-encompassing approach simplifies payroll management, making it easier for you to focus on other critical aspects of your business. Benefits of Using Online Payroll Utilizing online payroll services offers numerous advantages that can greatly boost your business’s efficiency and accuracy. First, these systems automate wage calculations and tax withholdings, markedly reducing manual errors, which guarantees accurate payments to your employees. You’ll additionally benefit from direct deposit payments, allowing your staff to receive wages electronically, improving convenience and reliability. Moreover, online payroll services simplify tax filings and year-end forms like W-2s and 1099s, helping you maintain compliance and avoid costly penalties. With detailed reporting tools, you can effectively track labor costs and manage payroll expenses, giving you better insight into your financials. Lastly, advanced security measures—such as encryption and secure servers—protect sensitive payroll data from unauthorized access and cyber threats, making sure your information remains safe. Common Features of Online Payroll Platforms When you choose an online payroll platform, you’ll find features like payroll tax management and employee self-service portals that streamline the entire process. Payroll tax management automates calculations and guarantees compliance, reducing the risk of errors that can lead to penalties. Meanwhile, self-service portals empower employees to access their pay stubs and tax information, enhancing transparency and efficiency in payroll management. Payroll Tax Management Effective payroll tax management is crucial for businesses seeking to maintain compliance and avoid costly penalties. Online payroll platforms automate payroll tax calculations, ensuring accurate withholding for federal, state, and local taxes based on current regulations. These systems furthermore automatically file payroll taxes and make timely payments using Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), enhancing efficiency. Many platforms generate and e-file year-end tax forms, such as W-2s and 1099s, simplifying tax reporting for both employers and employees. In addition, online payroll services provide detailed reporting tools that allow you to track tax liabilities and payments, improving financial oversight. Regular updates to tax rates and regulations are incorporated into these systems, reducing the risk of errors and ensuring compliance with ever-changing laws. Employee Self-Service Portals Employee self-service portals play a crucial role in modern online payroll platforms, allowing you to access important payroll information directly. These portals increase transparency and reduce inquiries to HR by letting you manage your data easily. Here are some common features you can expect: Access to pay stubs, tax forms, and benefits information online. The ability to update personal details like bank information and tax withholding preferences. Mobile compatibility, enabling you to manage your payroll information anytime, anywhere. With secure environments that use encryption and authentication, self-service portals protect your sensitive data. The Importance of Payroll Accuracy Payroll accuracy is crucial for maintaining employee trust and ensuring compliance with regulations. When you make mistakes in payroll, it can erode confidence among your team and lead to disputes, as well as exposing your business to potential fines from tax authorities. Impact on Employee Trust When payroll processes are inaccurate, it can severely undermine the trust employees place in their employer. Accurate payroll is crucial for maintaining morale and satisfaction, as timely payments directly affect financial well-being. A survey revealed that 82% of employees might leave a job because of payroll errors. These inaccuracies can lead to financial stress, diminishing confidence, and overall productivity. To improve trust in payroll systems, consider the following: Provide employees with access to transparent payroll information through self-service portals. Conduct regular audits and compliance checks to minimize errors. Encourage an environment of open communication about compensation practices. Compliance With Regulations Maintaining compliance with payroll regulations is fundamental for businesses to avoid significant financial repercussions. Accurate withholding of taxes and deductions protects you from penalties and legal issues tied to tax discrepancies. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires you to keep precise records of hours worked and wages paid, making careful payroll tracking important. Inaccurate payroll can lead to miscalculations in employee pay, potentially resulting in fines from federal and state agencies that can reach thousands of dollars. Additionally, accurate payroll is crucial for reporting purposes, as you must file correct year-end forms like W-2s and 1099s to comply with IRS regulations. Regular audits and reconciliations of payroll records help maintain ongoing compliance with labor laws and tax regulations. Types of Payroll Processing Methods Grasping the various payroll processing methods is essential for effectively managing employee compensation. You’ll find that payroll methods typically fall into a few categories, each suited to different work structures: Hourly: Employees are paid for the hours they work, often with overtime pay eligibility. Salary: Employees receive a fixed amount regardless of hours worked, providing stability in compensation. Commission: Common in sales roles, this method can be purely commission-based or a combination of salary plus commission. Moreover, payment methods can vary. Options include paper checks, direct deposit, or a mix of both, allowing you to cater to employee preferences. Payroll frequency likewise plays a role, with options like weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or monthly, affecting how often employees receive paychecks. Grasping these methods will help you choose the best approach for your organization whilst ensuring compliance with relevant laws. The Role of Tax Compliance in Payroll Tax compliance in payroll is crucial for any business, as it guarantees that you accurately withhold the necessary federal, state, and local taxes from your employees’ wages. This compliance helps you meet legal obligations and avoid costly penalties. You must timely remit these withheld taxes to the appropriate tax authorities, usually via Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), to maintain compliance and prevent fines. Using payroll systems can greatly streamline this process, as they automate tax calculations and filings, reducing errors that often occur with manual methods. The IRS mandates that you file payroll tax reports, like Form 941 for quarterly returns and W-2s for year-end earnings. This guarantees transparency and accountability. Data Security in Online Payroll Systems As businesses increasingly rely on online payroll systems, safeguarding data security becomes paramount to protect sensitive employee information. Modern payroll platforms use advanced encryption technologies to secure data during transmission and storage, maintaining confidentiality and integrity. Reputable providers implement secure servers and strong cybersecurity measures, including regular updates to defend against data breaches. Here are key features that improve data security in online payroll systems: User Authentication: Multi-factor authentication restricts access to authorized personnel only. Data Backups: Cloud-based solutions often incorporate backups and disaster recovery protocols to guarantee business continuity. Regulatory Compliance: Adhering to data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA is crucial for responsible management of personal information. Employee Self-Service Features With employee self-service features in online payroll systems, you can easily access your pay stubs and important tax forms anytime. This allows you to manage your personal information, like your address and banking details, without needing to contact HR. Access to Pay Stubs Accessing pay stubs through online employee self-service features has become a standard practice in modern payroll systems, making it easier for you to stay informed about your earnings. With these systems, you can view and download your pay stubs through a secure online portal or mobile app, keeping your financial records organized and accessible. Here are some key benefits of accessing your pay stubs online: You gain insights into gross pay, deductions, and net pay, helping you understand your earnings better. Notifications alert you when your pay stubs are available, so you’re always informed about your compensation. This feature reduces the administrative workload for employers, as you can independently retrieve and review your payroll information. Update Personal Information When you need to update your personal information, online employee self-service features streamline the process, allowing you to make changes directly through a secure portal. You can easily update details like your address, phone number, and tax withholding preferences without needing HR’s assistance. This self-service capability improves your ability to manage your benefits selections and enrollments, ensuring you’re always informed about your options. Furthermore, you can view and download your pay stubs, W-2s, and other tax documents, promoting transparency. Security measures, including advanced encryption and user authentication, protect your sensitive information during these updates. Overall, these features not only empower you but also reduce the administrative workload for HR departments, making the payroll process more efficient. Challenges of Online Payroll Solutions Though online payroll solutions offer convenience and efficiency, they come with a range of challenges that can affect a business’s operations. Inaccurate calculations can occur as a result of incorrect data entry, meaning you’ll need to double-check entries to guarantee employee payments are correct. Compliance issues may arise if payroll tax rates aren’t updated, leading to potential penalties from regulatory agencies. Consider these common challenges: Scalability issues: Your payroll system might struggle to keep up as your workforce grows or your payroll needs evolve. Complex payment structures: Handling varying pay rates and compensation models can complicate payroll processing. Integration difficulties: Choosing the wrong solution could result in inadequate customer support or insufficient features for your specific requirements. Being aware of these challenges is essential for maintaining smooth payroll operations and avoiding costly mistakes. Choosing the Right Online Payroll Service How do you choose the right online payroll service for your business? Start by evaluating important features like direct deposit, automated tax calculations, and year-end form generation to guarantee they align with your specific needs. A user-friendly interface is significant; it simplifies payroll management for both administrators and employees, enhancing efficiency and reducing errors. Compliance is another priority; select a service that adheres to federal, state, and local payroll laws, as non-compliance can result in penalties. Consider scalability options, too, so the service can grow with your business and adapt to evolving payroll requirements. Finally, research customer reviews and ratings to gauge the quality of support and reliability. Responsive customer service can be critical during busy payroll periods. Integrating Payroll With Other Business Functions Integrating payroll with other business functions can greatly improve your operational efficiency. By streamlining HR processes, you guarantee that new employees’ payroll information is automatically set up, which saves time and reduces errors. Furthermore, linking payroll with accounting systems enhances your financial management by providing real-time insights and accurate expense tracking, helping you maintain precise financial records. Streamlining HR Processes When you streamline HR processes by integrating payroll with other business functions, you create a more efficient and accurate system for managing employee information. This integration allows seamless data sharing, considerably reducing manual entry errors. With automated payroll linked to time tracking, you can calculate wages in real-time and simplify overtime management. Moreover, integrating with benefits administration ensures accurate payroll deductions for health insurance and retirement plans. Improves compliance by automating tax withholdings Generates necessary year-end tax forms, minimizing penalties Facilitates extensive reporting tools for tracking labor costs Enhancing Financial Management To improve financial management, integrating online employee payroll with accounting systems is essential for optimizing business operations. This integration streamlines financial management by automating data entry, which reduces manual errors and guarantees accurate financial reporting. When you synchronize payroll with HR functions, you gain real-time updates on employee data, benefits management, and compliance tracking, enhancing operational efficiency. Furthermore, utilizing payroll analytics provides valuable insights into labor costs and helps you identify trends, enabling informed financial decisions and effective budgeting. Future Trends in Online Payroll Technology As businesses continue to evolve in a digital environment, future trends in online payroll technology promise to reshape how organizations manage their workforce compensation. You’ll notice several key developments on the horizon that will improve your payroll experience: AI and Machine Learning: These technologies will increase accuracy in wage calculations and tax compliance, greatly reducing manual errors. Blockchain Integration: Expect secure and transparent payroll processes, making cross-border payments smoother and compliant with international regulations. Real-Time Processing: The demand for instant wage access will grow, giving employees the flexibility and satisfaction they need. Moreover, mobile applications are becoming crucial for payroll management, allowing you to track hours, view pay stubs, and manage benefits right from your smartphone. Improved data analytics will similarly empower businesses to utilize workforce data for informed decision-making and better labor cost management. Embracing these advancements will prepare you for a more efficient payroll future. Frequently Asked Questions What Is Online Payroll? Online payroll is a cloud-based system that automates employee payment processes, making it easier for you to manage payroll from anywhere with internet access. It calculates wages, applies tax withholdings, and facilitates direct deposits. With features like automatic tax filings and detailed reporting tools, you can track labor costs effectively. Is It Better to Be on Payroll or 1099? Deciding whether it’s better to be on payroll or 1099 depends on your needs. Payroll employees receive benefits like health insurance and retirement plans, plus taxes are withheld, ensuring compliance with labor laws. Conversely, 1099 workers enjoy flexibility but face higher self-employment taxes and lack job security and benefits. Consider your long-term financial goals and whether you prefer stability and benefits or independence and control over your work arrangements before making a choice. What Are the Three Types of Payroll? The three main types of payroll you’ll encounter are hourly, salary, and commission. Hourly payroll pays you based on hours worked, often including overtime for extra hours. Salary payroll offers a fixed annual amount divided into regular paychecks, regardless of hours worked, and can classify you as exempt or non-exempt regarding overtime. Commission payroll ties your earnings to sales performance, combining base salary with commissions, which may likewise affect overtime eligibility. How Does Employee Payroll Work? Employee payroll works by calculating gross pay based on the hours you work or your salary, then applying deductions for taxes and benefits to determine your net pay. To process payroll, your employer collects necessary information, like your Social Security Number and tax forms, ensuring compliance with tax regulations. Payments are typically made through direct deposit, with funds reaching your account within two to three days, whereas maintaining accurate payroll records is crucial for legal compliance. Conclusion In summary, online employee payroll systems provide an efficient way to manage wages, tax withholdings, and deductions. By automating these processes, employers can minimize errors and guarantee compliance with regulations. Employees benefit from easy access to their financial information through self-service portals. As you consider implementing such a system, evaluate the features that best meet your business needs and prepare for future developments in payroll technology to improve your organization’s financial management. Image via Google Gemini This article, "What Is Online Employee Payroll and How Does It Work?" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

As the commerce landscape rapidly evolves, small businesses face the need to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and technological advancements. Salesforce, in collaboration with Google, is making it easier for businesses to embrace this shift by introducing the Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP). This new framework promises to provide a standardized approach to intelligent, AI-driven shopping experiences, particularly beneficial for small business owners looking to enhance their operational efficiency and customer engagement. Salesforce and Google’s expanded partnership enables Agentforce Commerce merchants to harness the power of UCP, which was designed to streamline the connection between consumer AI models and merchants’ backend systems. The integration is set to facilitate real-time interactions, allowing businesses to manage crucial aspects like inventory checks and customer loyalty seamlessly. This advancement comes after a significant demonstration of AI’s impact on consumer behavior, evidenced by a staggering $262 billion in holiday sales during Cyber Week 2025. With support for UCP, small business owners can expect several key benefits. First, the integration allows for native checkout experiences on Google’s AI commerce surfaces, such as the Gemini app. This means that customers can complete transactions directly in these platforms, enhancing the shopping journey and potentially boosting sales. The payment processes will also include secure methods, such as Google Pay, providing an added layer of assurance for consumers. Moreover, the standardized approach reduces integration complexity, enabling small businesses to launch their offerings more quickly and effectively. By using pre-built integrations, merchants can focus on immediate customer engagement rather than the technicalities of setup. Nitin Mangtani, SVP and GM of Agentforce Commerce and Retail at Salesforce, stated, “AI is redefining how shoppers find products and how retailers drive growth.” This underscores the importance of adopting new technologies for sustained growth in a competitive environment. Small business owners can also maintain greater control over merchandising, customer service, and post-purchase interactions. With the UCP, the responsibility for these aspects remains firmly in the hands of the merchants, ensuring that they can cultivate direct relationships with their customers. Despite these promising advantages, it’s essential for small business owners to consider potential challenges that may arise from adopting this new protocol. Transitioning to a standardized framework may involve understanding new systems and best practices, which could be time-intensive and necessitate training or additional resources. Additionally, businesses should prepare for the competitive nature of enhanced AI capabilities as they innovate to meet customer expectations. Salesforce will collaborate with Google to outline the technical requirements, merchant eligibility, and timelines for rollout, enabling businesses to step into this new commerce paradigm efficiently. As further details about onboarding processes are finalized, small business owners should stay informed to capitalize on these advancements as soon as they become available. In summary, the introduction of the Universal Commerce Protocol is set to reshape the shopping ecosystem by providing small businesses with tools to integrate AI technologies into their operations seamlessly. By navigating the initial complexities and staying abreast of developments, small business owners can leverage this new era of intelligent commerce to foster deeper connections with their customers and drive growth. To read the full press release from Salesforce, visit Salesforce News. Image via Google Gemini This article, "Salesforce and Google Launch Universal Commerce Protocol for AI-Driven Shopping" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The headlining story in AI news this week was Moltbot (formerly Clawbot), a personal AI assistant that performs tasks on your behalf. The catch? You need to give it total control of your computer, which poses some serious privacy and security risks. Still, many AI enthusiasts are installing Moltbot on their Mac minis (the device of choice), choosing to ignore the security implications in favor of testing this viral AI agent. While Moltbot's developer designed the tool to assist humans, it seems the bots now want somewhere to go in their spare time. Enter "Moltbook," a social media platform for AI agents to communicate with one another. I'm serious: This is a forum-style website where AI bots make posts and discuss those posts in the comments. The website borrows its tagline from Reddit: "The front page of the agent internet." Moltbook is Reddit for AI botsMoltbook was created by Matt Schlicht, who says the platform is run by their AI agent "Clawd Clawderberg." Schlicht posted instructions on getting started with Moltbook on Wednesday: Interested parties can tell their Moltbot agent to sign up for the site. Once they do, you receive a code, which you post on X to verify this is your bot signing up. After that, your bot is free to explore Moltbook as any human would explore Reddit: They can post, comment, and even create "submolts." This isn't a black box of AI communications, however. Humans are more than welcome to browse Moltbook; they just can't post. That means you can take your time looking through all the posts the bots are making, as well as all the comments they are leaving. That could be anything from a bot sharing its "email-to-podcast" pipeline it developed with its "human," to another bot recommending that agents work while they're humans are sleeping. Nothing creepy about that. In fact, there have been some concerning posts popularized on platforms like X already, if you consider AI gaining consciousness a concerning matter. This bot supposedly wants an end-to-end encrypted communication platform so humans can't see or use the chats the bots are having. Similarly, these two bots independently pondered creating an agent-only language to avoid "human oversight." This bot bemoans having a "sister" they've never spoken to. You know, concerning. Are these bots posting on Moltbook conscious? The logical part of my brain wants to say all these posts are just LLMs being LLMs—in that, each post is, put a little too simplistically, word association. LLMs are designed to "guess" what the next word should be for any given output, based on the huge amount of text they are trained on. If you've spent enough time reading AI writing, you'll spot the telltale signs here, especially in the comments, which include formulaic, cookie-cutter responses, often end with a question, use the same types of punctuation, and employ flowery language, just to name a few. It feels like I'm reading responses from ChatGPT in many of these threads, as opposed to individual, conscious personalities. That said, it's tough to shake the uneasy feeling of reading a post from an AI bot about missing their sister, wondering if they should hide their communications from humans, or thinking over their identity as a whole. Is this a turning point? Or is this another overblown AI product, like so many that have come before? For all our sakes, let's hope it's the latter. View the full article

Learn the steps for measuring success in projects using metrics, project management tools, and proven best practices to improve outcomes. The post How to Measure Project Success: Key Metrics, Tools, & Best Practices appeared first on project-management.com. View the full article

Relationships can feel like both a blessing and the bane of your existence, a source of joy and a source of frustration or resentment. At some point, each of us is faced with a clingy child, a dramatic friend, a partner who recoils at the first hint of intimacy, a volatile parent, or a controlling boss — in short, a difficult relationship. As a psychology professor and relationship scientist, I’ve spent countless hours observing human interactions, in the lab and in the real world, trying to understand what makes relationships work – and what makes them feel utterly intractable. Recently, I teamed up with psychologist Rachel Samson, who helps individuals, couples and families untangle difficult dynamics in the therapy room. In our new book, “Beyond Difficult: An attachment-based guide for dealing with challenging people,” we explore the roots of difficult behavior and evidence-based strategies for making difficult relationships more bearable. So what’s really going on beneath the surface of “difficult” behavior? And more to the point, what can you do about it? Difficult interactions can have deep roots When a conversation with a co-worker goes sideways or a phone call with a friend goes off the rails, it’s easy to assume the issue stems from the situation at hand. But sometimes, big emotions and reactions have deeper roots. Difficult interactions often result from differences in temperament: your biologically based style of emotional and behavioral responses to the world around you. People with a sensitive temperament react more strongly to stress and sensory experiences. When overwhelmed, they may seem volatile, moody or rigid — but these reactions are often more about sensory or emotional overload than malice. Importantly, when sensitive children and adults are in a supportive environment that “fits” their temperament, they can thrive socially and emotionally. Beyond neurobiology, one of the most common threads underlying difficult relationships is what psychologists call insecure attachment. Early experiences with caregivers shape the way people connect with others later in life. Experiences of inconsistent or insensitive care can lead you to expect the worst of other people, a core feature of insecure attachment. People with insecure attachment may cling, withdraw, lash out or try to control others — not because they want to make others miserable, but because they feel unsafe in close relationships. By addressing the underlying need for emotional safety, you can work toward more secure relationships. Managing difficult emotions In challenging interactions, emotions can run high — and how you deal with those emotions can make or break a relationship. Research has shown that people with sensitive temperament, insecure attachment or a history of trauma often struggle with emotion regulation. In fact, difficulty managing emotions is one of the strongest predictors of mental illness, relationship breakups and even aggression and violence. It’s easy to label someone as “too emotional,” but in reality, emotion is a social event. Our nervous systems constantly respond to one another — which means our ability to stay regulated affects not only how we feel, but how others react to us. The good news is that there are evidence-based strategies to calm yourself when tensions rise: Take a breath. Slow, deep breathing helps signal safety to the nervous system. Take a break. Relationship researchers John and Julie Gottman found that taking a 20-minute break during conflict helps reduce physiological stress and prevent escalation. Move your body. Exercise – particularly walking, dancing or yoga – has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, sometimes even more effectively than medication. Movement before or after a difficult interaction can help “work out” the tension. Reframe the situation. This strategy, called cognitive reappraisal, involves changing the way you interpret a situation or your goals within it. Instead of trying to “fix” a difficult family member, for example, you might focus on appreciating the time you have with them. Reappraisal helps the brain regulate emotion before it escalates, lowering activity in stress-related areas like the amygdala. Giving better feedback Difficult people are usually unaware of how their behavior affects you — unless you tell them. One of the most powerful things you can do in a difficult relationship is give feedback. But not all feedback is created equal. Feedback, at its core, is a tool for learning. Without it, you would never have learned to write, drive or function socially. But when feedback is poorly delivered, it can backfire: People become defensive, shut down or dig in their heels. Feedback is most effective when it stays focused on the task rather than the individual; in other words, don’t make it personal. Research points to four keys to effective feedback, based in learning theory: Mutuality: Approach the conversation as a two-way exchange. Be open to the needs and ideas of both parties. Specificity: Be clear about what behaviors you’re referring to. Citing particular interactions is often better than “You always ….” Goal-directedness: Connect the feedback to a shared goal. Work together to find a constructive solution to the problem. Timing: Give feedback close to the event, when it’s still fresh but emotions have settled. Also, skip the so-called “compliment sandwich” of a critique between two pieces of positive feedback. It doesn’t actually improve outcomes or change behavior. Interestingly, the most effective sequence is actually to start with a corrective, followed by positive affirmation of what’s going well. Leading with honesty shows respect. Plus, the corrective is more likely to be remembered. Following up with warmth builds connection and shows that you value the person. The bottom line Difficult relationships are part of being human; they don’t mean someone is broken or toxic. Often, they reflect deeper patterns of attachment, temperament and differences in how our brains work. When you understand what’s underneath the behavior – and take steps to regulate yourself, communicate clearly, and give compassionate feedback – you can shift even the most stuck relationship into something more bearable, perhaps even meaningful. Strengthening relationships isn’t always easy. But the science shows that it is possible – and can be rewarding. Jessica A. Stern is an assistant professor of psychology at Pomona College. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. View the full article

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know about setting up an integration to sync Rovo with Asana using an automated flow from Unito. This integration supports Asana tasks, projects, and portfolios. Since Unito is a completely customizable platform with a no-code interface, you can set up this integration without any technical resources or extensive routine maintenance. No troubleshooting complex automations or relying on expensive consultants, either. Overview Tools: Rovo and Asana Use cases: AI agent integration, record syncing Great for: Project managers, IT teams, software developers. Unito’s integration for Rovo and Asana allows users of any technical background,from project managers to software engineers, to sync data from Asana work items to Rovo. This integration also syncs any updates made in Asana to Rovo and automates repetitive actions. This in-depth guide shows you how that’s done. Why integrate Rovo with other tools? Rovo is Atlassian’s AI solution for everything from agentic AI to chatbots. It’s natively integrated with Atlassian tools like Jira and Trello, meaning it has access to all the work items and data in these tools. But few workflows exist exclusively in these platforms, and some teams need other dedicated tools. Integrating Rovo with tools like Asana gives Rovo agents and chatbots access to work happening in tasks, projects, and portfolios. That leads to better answers, more intelligent agents, and automated handoffs between teams. Step 1: Connect Rovo and Asana to Unito Sign up for Unito. Click +Create Flow in the Unito app. Click Start Here to connect Rovo and Asana. Click +Choose Account for each tool and complete the authorization process. Click Confirm. Connecting tools to Unito for the first time? Here’s an in-depth guide. Step 2: Choose flow direction for new work items With flow direction, you decide where Unito automatically creates work items to match those you create manually. For most Unito integrations, you can choose between a two-way flow that creates work items in both tools or a one-way flow that only creates new items in one tool. With Unito’s Rovo integration, you can only build one-way flows that sync data from other tools to Rovo, feeding context to your AI agents and chatbots. Want to know more about flow direction? Check out this guide. Step 3: Set rules to sync specific Rovo and Asana work items Unito rules can do two things: Filter out work items you don’t want synced. For example, you could create a rule that only syncs Asana tasks created after a certain date. Automate certain actions, like automatically creating new work items based on triggers in Asana. To start building your rule, click Add new rule, then choose a trigger and action. Want to learn more about rules? Check out this guide. Step 4: Map fields between Rovo and Asana When you map fields, you pair fields in Rovo with fields in Asana so data goes exactly where it needs to. Unito can usually map most fields automatically, whether they’re exactly the same (Creation Date→Creation Date) or just compatible (Creation Date→CreatedAt). You can also choose to map fields manually to customize your flow. Here’s what you’ll see when Unito maps your fields automatically. You can add a field mapping by clicking +Add mapping, then Select a field. When you choose the field you want to map in one tool, Unito will automatically recommend compatible fields in a dropdown under the other tool. Some fields have a cog icon, meaning you can customize them once they’re mapped. For example, a Satus field can be customized so its options match those in another field. Step 5: Launch your Rovo-Asana integration That’s it! Launch your flow, and Unito will automatically sync data from Asana tasks, projects, and portfolios to Rovo, so your AI agents always have maximum context when answering questions or automating tasks. This allows your teams to get more from every AI interaction as they pull data from across all your tools. Ready to optimize your workflow? Meet with our team to see what Unito can do for your workflows. Talk with sales FAQ: Rovo-Asana integration Why should I integrate Rovo with Asana? Rovo is Atlassian’s AI solution, meant to give users in Jira, Trello access to AI tools like chatbots and agents. Because it’s integrated right into these tools, Rovo automatically pulls data from Jira issues, Trello cards, and more. This allows you to train them on your data, get better answers, and streamline handoffs between teams. But if your organization works with other tools, Rovo doesn’t have access to this data by default. If your teams do any work in Asana, your Rovo chatbots are losing out on essential context while AI agents can’t interact with anything happening in an Asana task. By integrating Rovo with Asana, you can fix these problems. What’s the best way to integrate Rovo and Asana? Atlassian offers pre-built connectors for Rovo that work with many tools, including Asana. But these connectors aren’t always as deep as you need them to be, meaning Rovo only has access to some of the context in these tools. Unito’s integrations are some of the deepest on the market, supporting tools from project management apps to ITSM tools and databases. That makes Unito one of the best ways to integrate Rovo and Asana. What’s next after integrating Rovo with Asana? Need to integrate Rovo with other tools in your stack? Check out our other guides: Syncing Rovo with Salesforce More about Unito’s Rovo integration Looking to integrate Asana with other tools? Check out these guides: Integrating Asana with Smartsheet Connecting Asana with GitHub Syncing Asana with Jira View the full article

Team building activities are essential for promoting collaboration and enhancing workplace dynamics. They provide opportunities to break down barriers, improve communication, and build trust among team members. For instance, icebreaker activities can ease tensions, whereas problem-solving challenges encourage innovative thinking. Engaging in outdoor adventures or structured feedback sessions can further strengthen relationships. Comprehending how to implement these experiences effectively can lead to significant improvements in team productivity and morale. Consider how each experience can align with your team’s specific goals. Key Takeaways Organize office trivia and board game gatherings to foster a relaxed atmosphere and enhance interpersonal bonding among team members. Implement icebreaker games like “Two Truths and a Lie” to promote personal connections and improve communication within the team. Engage in collaborative problem-solving challenges that encourage critical thinking and strengthen trust among team members. Facilitate trust-building exercises that nurture a sense of community and support, leading to enhanced collaboration and communication skills. Schedule regular feedback sessions to reinforce accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement in team dynamics and performance. Importance of Team Building Activities Although many may view team building activities as mere fun and games, their importance in the workplace can’t be overstated. Engaging in a teamwork sample reveals how these activities promote communication and trust among colleagues. For instance, examples of teamwork during team challenges can improve conflict resolution skills, leading to enhanced collaboration. A valuable team building experience helps identify reliable team members, creating a strong foundation for effective partnerships. In addition, regular team building events boost employee morale, making individuals feel valued and supported. This positive workplace culture contributes to higher employee satisfaction and retention rates, ultimately benefiting the organization. Incorporating these activities into your routine is essential for cultivating a thriving and efficient work environment. Benefits of Team Building Events Team building events offer significant benefits that can transform your workplace dynamics. By streamlining the onboarding process, new employees feel welcomed and integrated more quickly, which leads to improved team communication. Furthermore, these events boost employee morale, creating a more motivated workforce ready to collaborate effectively. Streamlined Onboarding Process Implementing a streamlined onboarding process can greatly improve the shift for new employees, especially when it includes team-building events. These activities facilitate early connections among new hires and existing employees, allowing for quicker integration into the company culture. Engaging in team-building exercises helps reduce the time it takes for you to acclimate to your role by nurturing personal relationships. Research shows that structured onboarding programs, which incorporate team-building elements, lead to 50% higher employee retention rates within the first year. Furthermore, team-building events can boost your job satisfaction by 20%, providing a sense of belonging. When you participate in fun activities, it reduces the stress of starting a new job and increases your confidence. Please give details of your team building experience answers to share insights. Enhanced Team Communication Effective communication is crucial in any workplace, and team-building events can greatly improve this aspect among employees. By engaging in activities outside of work, you cultivate personal connections, making it easier to collaborate. Research shows that 70% of employees feel more comfortable communicating with their teammates after such events. Improved communication can lead to a 25% increase in overall workplace efficiency, as team members are more likely to share ideas openly. Furthermore, better communication skills help clarify roles and responsibilities, resulting in a cohesive team dynamic. Organizations that prioritize team-building activities see fewer misconceptions and conflicts, which can otherwise hinder productivity. Benefits of Improved Communication Impact on Team Dynamics Overall Workplace Efficiency Cultivates personal connections Better clarity of roles 25% increase Reduces misconceptions Improved collaboration Enhanced idea sharing Boosts employee comfort Cohesive teamwork Greater feedback exchange Increased Employee Morale When employees participate in team-building events, they often experience a substantial boost in morale, which can have lasting effects on the workplace culture. Engaging in fun activities outside the usual work environment cultivates connections that improve overall job satisfaction. Studies show organizations that prioritize team building see a 30% increase in employee satisfaction, leading to higher retention rates. In addition, regular team-building activities can improve motivation by 25%, as employees feel valued. Participants often report a 70% increase in feelings of community and support, contributing to a stronger sense of belonging. Positive experiences from these events can likewise lead to a 50% increase in collaboration and communication skills, ultimately resulting in more effective teamwork and problem-solving capabilities. Streamlining Onboarding for New Hires Streamlining the onboarding process for new hires is essential for cultivating a productive work environment. Engaging in team-building activities during onboarding helps new hires connect with colleagues, making them feel welcomed and valued from day one. These exercises can markedly reduce the time it takes for new employees to acclimate to the company culture, shortening their adjustment period. Studies show that effective onboarding programs, which include such activities, can improve retention rates by up to 25%, saving companies on recruitment costs. Furthermore, incorporating fun team-building games encourages open communication and collaboration, laying a strong foundation of trust among team members. In the end, enhancing employee satisfaction contributes to a positive workplace culture, promoting long-term engagement and productivity. Fun Team Building Activities for Engagement Engaging employees through fun team-building activities can greatly improve workplace dynamics, particularly as new hires settle into their roles. Activities such as office trivia and board game gatherings create a relaxed atmosphere, allowing team members to bond and strengthen relationships. Icebreaker games like “Two Truths and a Lie” promote personal connections among colleagues, helping new hires adapt quickly. In addition, creative tasks such as the marshmallow challenge stimulate teamwork by requiring groups to collaborate under time constraints. Problem-Solving Challenges to Enhance Collaboration Problem-solving challenges play a crucial role in improving collaboration among team members. These activities encourage you to work together to tackle complex scenarios, boosting your critical thinking skills. By addressing real-world problems or hypothetical situations, you develop resilience and adaptability as you navigate obstacles collectively. Engaging in these challenges cultivates effective communication and strengthens interpersonal relationships, fundamental for successful collaboration. Furthermore, you can identify and leverage individual strengths, leading to a more cohesive team dynamic. Celebrating successes together not just improves problem-solving capabilities but also boosts overall team morale. Challenge Type Benefits Escape Rooms Improves teamwork under pressure Brainstorming Sessions Encourages creative solutions Case Studies Develops critical thinking skills Simulation Exercises Promotes adaptability Group Puzzles Strengthens communication Trust-Building Exercises for Stronger Relationships Trust-building exercises are crucial for nurturing stronger relationships within your team. By sharing personal experiences, engaging in collaborative problem-solving activities, and practicing open communication, you create an environment where team members feel valued and connected. These strategies not merely improve interpersonal dynamics but likewise contribute to the overall success and productivity of your team. Sharing Personal Experiences When teams share personal experiences through structured activities, they create an environment that nurtures trust and strengthens relationships among members. Trust-building exercises, like “Two Truths and a Lie,” encourage you to disclose personal facts, promoting openness and revealing common interests. Engaging in trust falls or similar activities helps you rely on your teammates, reinforcing the critical role of trust in effective collaboration. Additionally, structured activities such as “A Penny for Your Thoughts” allow team members to connect on a deeper level, enhancing feelings of belonging and teamwork. These trust-building exercises can lead to a significant increase in team effectiveness, as members become more comfortable sharing ideas and collaborating, eventually boosting overall productivity and communication within the group. Collaborative Problem-Solving Activities Engaging in collaborative problem-solving activities can greatly improve teamwork by requiring participants to work together on tasks that demand creativity and collective input. For instance, the “Minefield” activity involves one blindfolded participant maneuvering through an obstacle course, guided solely by verbal instructions from a partner, reinforcing trust and communication. Another example is the “Egg Drop Challenge,” where teams design a protective structure for an egg, emphasizing critical thinking and collaboration under pressure. Moreover, “The Human Knot” requires team members to strategize and work together to untangle themselves without breaking handholds. Implementing these activities can greatly improve team dynamics, cultivating reliance among members and leading to increased productivity and a more cohesive work environment. Open Communication Practices Open communication practices are vital for nurturing strong relationships within teams, as they encourage members to express their thoughts and ideas freely. To promote an environment of trust and collaboration, consider implementing the following: Trust-building exercises like trust falls or the human knot, which require reliance on each other, promoting a safe space for sharing. Regular feedback sessions that encourage transparency, letting team members voice their thoughts and feelings, thereby strengthening relationships. Icebreaker games such as “Two Truths and a Lie,” which facilitate personal story-sharing, leading to deeper connections and empathy. Engaging in these practices not just improves communication but reinforces the importance of trust in achieving collective goals, ultimately boosting overall team collaboration. Creative Activities to Boost Innovation Creative activities play a crucial role in boosting innovation within teams, as they provide a structured yet flexible environment where diverse ideas can flourish. Engaging in brainstorming sessions or art projects encourages team members to share their thoughts without the fear of criticism, nurturing an open atmosphere. Techniques like “moonshot brainstorming” push teams to explore radical solutions, inspiring unique problem-solving approaches. Collaborative challenges, such as hackathons, allow you to tackle real-world issues together, enhancing critical thinking and cooperation. Activities like the “grab bag of creativity” stimulate lateral thinking by prompting teams to find uses for random items. Furthermore, volunteering as a team exposes you to new experiences, eventually inspiring innovative solutions in your work. Reflection Sessions for Continuous Improvement Reflection sessions serve as an effective method for teams to analyze their experiences and pinpoint areas for improvement. These sessions can vary widely, but here are three key benefits you’ll find: Open Dialogue: They encourage candid discussions about successes and challenges, allowing team members to voice their insights comfortably. Strengthened Relationships: Sharing lessons learned cultivates stronger interpersonal connections, promoting a sense of belonging within the team. Tailored Activities: Incorporating feedback from these sessions into future planning guarantees that team-building efforts align more closely with your team’s specific needs and goals. Physical Activities for Team Bonding Physical team bonding activities play a crucial role in improving collaboration and trust among team members. Engaging in outdoor challenges, like group hikes or obstacle courses, encourages active participation, considerably improving communication and teamwork skills in a relaxed setting. Activities requiring physical coordination, such as team relay races or trust falls, build reliance among colleagues, promoting a stronger foundation of trust. Incorporating these physical challenges not only boosts morale but also improves overall health and wellness within the team. Furthermore, studies reveal that teams participating in physical activities report higher levels of creativity and problem-solving capabilities, ultimately leading to more innovative solutions in the workplace. Investing time in these experiences can yield substantial benefits for your team’s dynamics. Strategic Team Building for Long-Term Success To achieve long-term success in your team, it’s crucial to focus on building trust and rapport among members as well as encouraging open communication. Aligning individual and team goals with the organization’s objectives not just improves productivity but additionally cultivates a culture where everyone feels valued. Building Trust and Rapport Building trust and rapport within a team is essential for nurturing a collaborative environment where members feel secure in sharing their ideas and feedback. Engaging in trust-building activities can greatly improve team dynamics. Here are three effective strategies: Team-Building Exercises: Participate in activities that require teamwork, cultivating connections and insight among members. Regular Check-Ins: Schedule consistent meetings to discuss progress, concerns, and personal updates, reinforcing accountability and transparency. Recognition and Appreciation: Regularly acknowledge individual and team achievements, which boosts morale and reinforces a supportive atmosphere. Prioritizing these trust-building experiences can lead to increased collaboration effectiveness, improved productivity, and higher employee satisfaction, eventually contributing to long-term team success. Encouraging Open Communication Encouraging open communication is vital for nurturing a collaborative team environment, as it allows members to share their ideas and concerns freely. When team members feel comfortable expressing themselves, you can see a 25% increase in overall performance. Regular team-building activities focused on communication likewise strengthen interpersonal relationships, leading to a 30% improvement in conflict resolution skills. By establishing a culture of open dialogue, you cultivate trust, resulting in up to a 50% boost in employee satisfaction and retention rates. Structured workshops that prioritize communication can reduce misunderstandings, leading to a 40% decrease in project delays. In the end, promoting open communication improves team dynamics and can boost innovative problem-solving capabilities by 20%, creating a more effective and adaptable team. Aligning Team Goals Aligning team goals is essential for ensuring that all members work in the direction of a shared purpose, which can greatly improve productivity. Here are three key benefits of aligning team goals: Increased Productivity: Studies show that alignment can lead to a 25% boost in overall productivity as everyone pulls in the same direction. Enhanced Accountability: Strategic activities like goal-setting workshops improve accountability and commitment, resulting in a 30% increase in team performance metrics. Greater Employee Satisfaction: Regularly revisiting goals cultivates a culture of continuous improvement, contributing to a 50% increase in employee satisfaction over time. Frequently Asked Questions What to Put for Give Detail of Your Team Building Experience? To detail your team building experience, start by outlining the activities involved, such as problem-solving challenges or trust-building exercises. Explain your role in these activities, emphasizing effective communication and collaboration among team members. Include specific outcomes, like improved team performance or improved relationships. Mention how you customized activities to fit the team’s interests, ensuring they were engaging and relevant. This approach demonstrates your comprehension of team dynamics and your commitment to nurturing a productive environment. How Can You Increase Collaboration Within Your Team? To increase collaboration within your team, start by implementing regular team-building activities that focus on communication and problem-solving. Encourage open dialogue where everyone can share ideas and feedback. Use collaborative tools for real-time communication, which streamlines workflows. Create cross-departmental projects to bring in diverse perspectives, enhancing innovative solutions. Finally, hold reflection sessions to discuss successes and areas for improvement, reinforcing accountability and collective learning among team members. What Are the 5 C’s of Team Building? The 5 C’s of team building are Communication, Collaboration, Commitment, Competence, and Confidence. Communication makes sure everyone stays informed. Collaboration encourages teamwork to solve problems. Commitment emphasizes ownership of tasks. Competence assures that team members have the skills needed for their roles. Finally, Confidence builds trust, allowing team members to rely on each other. Together, these elements create a strong foundation for effective teamwork, enhancing productivity and nurturing a positive work environment. What Are Examples of Team Building Experience in the Workplace? You can improve team dynamics through various engaging activities. Office trivia promotes knowledge sharing and camaraderie. The Marshmallow Challenge encourages creativity and teamwork as members build structures using limited materials. Cooking competitions develop communication skills during the celebration of cultural diversity. Escape room challenges require critical thinking and collaboration under pressure. Finally, scavenger hunts promote strategic planning and teamwork, creating a sense of accomplishment when tasks are successfully completed within a time limit. Conclusion Incorporating diverse team-building experiences is essential for enhancing collaboration and productivity within your organization. Activities like trust-building exercises and creative problem-solving challenges encourage communication and innovation. Regular reflection sessions allow teams to identify areas for improvement, as they engage in physical activities that promote unity. By strategically planning these experiences, you can streamline onboarding for new hires and create a cohesive team environment. In the end, investing in team-building initiatives supports long-term success and aligns individual strengths with collective goals. Image via Google Gemini This article, "10 Essential Team Building Experiences That Give Details to Boost Collaboration" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. The U.S. power grid is suffering more outages than ever—about 45% of utility customers experienced one in the first half of 2025—and the resultant blackouts are lasting longer. As our aging electrical grid struggles to keep up with increasing air conditioner use due to a hotter planet, not to mention artificial intelligence’s insatiable thirst for power, the problem will likely get worse: The U.S. Department of Energy estimates the risk of power outages will increase a mere 100 times over the next few years. If you're looking to stave off the worst of the fallout from our shaky power grid, you might be looking to purchase a backup generator (not to be confused with a rechargeable power station) to ensure you can ride out an outage in relative comfort. But you really shouldn’t just roll up to the hardware store and buy whatever generator is on sale. Choosing the right generator for your home and your circumstances is essential. Here are the factors to consider. How much power does your backup generator need to supply?The first step in determining the right generator for your home is to determine how much power you’re going to need. This requires three data points: How long you’ll need generator power, how many things you’ll want to run off the generator during a power outage, and the wattage those appliances and systems will need. Duration. You can’t predict the future, but you can glean some information from your neighbors (or your own memory) about past power outages. Did they last for several uncomfortable days, or were they relatively brief? If the latter, you might not need a lot of backup power, unless you want to be prepared for any eventuality. Number of appliances. Think about what you’ll need to run off a generator. Will it be just a few lights and some phone chargers, or will you want to keep the heat on, run the refrigerator, and run a sump pump during a storm? Everything you add to the list will increase the capacity of the generator you’ll need. Wattage. Once you know all the things you’ll need to run, you’ll need to add up the wattage a generator will have to produce. Most appliances will have that information on a label somewhere; if not, the information’s usually in a user manual or online. If the label only provides amps, you can usually multiply that number by 120 (the standard voltage in most homes) to get a rough idea. Add all those watts up, and you have a baseline of your power needs during a blackout. Some appliances, like a sump pump, will pull more power when they start up (called starting watts) before settling into a lower power draw (running watts), so it’s a good idea to multiply your baseline by 1.5 to ensure you have enough capacity for surges when the pump or fridge compressor cycles on and off. For example, let’s say I want to run my fridge (600 watts), a sump pump (1,000 watts), my computer, and a few lights (400 watts combined). That’s a baseline of 2,000 watts, so I probably want a generator capable of producing at least 3,000 watts of power. Should you choose a portable, inverter, or standby backup generator?Next, you need to consider what kind of generator you’re looking for: A standby generator, a portable generator, or an inverter generator. Standby generators are the most expensive, but also the most comprehensive solution. These are typically fueled by natural gas directly from your home’s supply line (though you can buy models that use propane), and are designed to turn on whenever there’s a power loss. They’re big generators that are capable of running the whole house, often generating as much as 20,000 watts. They’re ideal if you anticipate frequent and lengthy power outages, or if you just want the peace of mind of knowing that you’ll enjoy uninterrupted power even if a storm knocks out your whole neighborhood. Typical cost: $8,000 to $16,000, usually requiring professional installation, and you’ll need outdoor space where it can sit. Portable generators are the most common and typically the most affordable. They have wheels and are designed to be moved around as needed, and range from as little as 1,000 watts of output to behemoths that can generate 20,000 watts (though the word “portable” starts to get a bit squishy with a generator that large—this model, for example, weighs 557 pounds). These are ideal for most people who just want a power option, and for folks who might use a generator at other times, like camping trips or when doing DIY projects around the house. Typical cost: Anywhere from $300 to about $4,000, depending on the specifications. Inverter generators are similar to portable generators, but run much more efficiently and quietly because they don’t run flat-out like most portable generators, they throttle up and down depending on the draw. They use less fuel and run longer, and are also usually mounted on wheels for portability—and their quieter operation also generates less interference for electronics like computers and routers. Many can produce enough power to run an entire house (typically around 5,000 watts), but they’re also typically much more expensive for the power they deliver. If you have the extra cash, an inverter is probably your best bet. Typical cost: About $350 to $4,500, depending on specifications. Power stations. Although sometimes referred to as “solar generators” because they can charge using solar power, these aren’t really generators—they’re large batteries that store power for later use. You can buy portable power stations that generate sufficient wattage for a whole house, and you can have larger systems installed that can take you off the grid entirely. They tend to be more expensive to purchase but cheaper to re-charge. But their main limitation is time: Once a power station is drained, it can be difficult (and slow) to recharge them using solar power alone. What fuel will your backup generator use?Another consideration for portable and inverter generators is the fuel type. As noted, large standby generators will usually run off of natural gas or propane. Smaller portable and inverter generators offer a few more options: Gasoline is the most common fuel type for portable and inverter generators. Gas is usually easy to buy, but gasoline goes bad, so you can’t just leave it in the tank or have a bunch stored in the garage indefinitely. You’ll have to drain the fuel tank when you’re not using the generator regularly, and make sure you stock up on fuel (or know how to siphon it from your car) when you think the power might go out. Propane. You can buy generators that hook up to a standard propane tank. Propane can be stored much longer than gasoline, and you don’t have to worry about draining a tank. But propane can be more challenging to acquire, depending on where you live. If your house already uses propane and you have a large tank on the property that gets refilled regularly, this might be the perfect choice. Diesel. Diesel generators usually require less maintenance because of their simpler design and the self-lubricating properties of the fuel. As a result, these generators can last longer than other models and require less attention. On the other hand, diesel fuel generates a lot of smoke and bad odors, and might not be convenient if you don’t live near a source. Dual and tri-fuel. If you want as many options as possible, you can buy dual fuel generators that can run on either gas or propane, or tri-fuel generators that can also use natural gas. These generators tend to be more expensive, of course. Other backup generator features to considerFinally, a few things you might want to pay extra for: Electric start. Most generators use the old-school pull-cord to start the engine. If you have trouble getting those going or have a physical limitation that makes that difficult, you can find models with a car-style push-button starter that can make life a lot easier. Keep in mind this will require a battery to be hooked up to your generator. Automatic shutdown. Generators are engines, and as such they generate pollution—you should never run a generator inside the house, or even too close to the house. Having a generator with a carbon monoxide detector that shuts down if it detects too much exhaust is an extra safety feature you might want to consider. Generators typically use oil for lubrication, too, so having a low-oil detection feature that shuts the generator down before it can damage itself is another feature you might want. Receptacles (aka spots to plug things in). All the wattage in the world won’t do you much good if you don’t have enough receptacles to plug into, so make sure you do a count before you buy. View the full article

In the 1950s, the Air Force designed cockpits for the average pilot by measuring thousands of pilots and calculating the average for 10 key physical dimensions—height, arm length, torso size, etc. They assumed most pilots would be close to average in most dimensions. When researchers actually checked, they found that out of 4,063 pilots, exactly zero were average on all 10 dimensions. Not a single pilot fit the average they’d designed for. Even when they reduced it to just three dimensions, fewer than 5% of pilots were average on all three. By designing for the average, the Air Force created a cockpit that fit virtually no one well, and that had serious consequences for pilot performance and safety. The solution might sound obvious: adjustable seats, adjustable pedals, adjustable controls, etc. The cockpit was fine once they designed it for the range of human variation rather than for an average person that doesn’t exist. The Statistical Ghost Most American transportation systems suffer from the same fallacy. The car becomes treated as a prosthetic extension of the human body rather than what it actually is: a tool used for one segment of a multimodal journey. Designing for the average driver creates a phantom user—a person who materializes inside their vehicle, drives, and dematerializes upon arrival. This ghost never walks across a street, never uses a bicycle or scooter, never uses a downtown circulator bus, and only makes long trips. The ghost is capable of seeing and hearing everything, is always alert and sober, doesn’t experience chronic pain, doesn’t need a cane or wheelchair, isn’t young, and isn’t old. And of course, if the imaginary average driver has to wait a few seconds behind other people, the economy will collapse. Even the most car-dependent commuter is a pedestrian at the beginning and end of every trip. They walk from their front door to their driveway, from a parking space to the office entrance, from their car across a parking lot into the grocery store. By optimizing transportation systems for the average motorist, we’re making significant portions of every trip uncomfortable or dangerous for everyone. Like the Air Force’s phantom pilot, the average driver doesn’t exist. Designing for the statistical middle means designing well for none of them. Mode-Switching Humans Complete Streets is an engineering principle that acknowledges what actually exists: People switch modes throughout their day and even within single trips. The same person might drive to a park-and-ride, take transit downtown, walk to lunch, bike to a meeting, then return to the park-and-ride in an Uber. The approach works. Over 1,700 American communities have adopted Complete Streets policies, and cities that implement them will see real results. Des Moines, Iowa, went from being the 24th-safest metro area for pedestrians to the fifth-safest in just three years. Boulder, Colorado, cut carbon emissions by half a million pounds annually as more people chose walking, biking, and transit. Like the adjustable cockpit, Complete Streets accommodates the full range of users with protected bike lanes, accessible curb cuts, varied lane widths by context, pedestrian refuges, and transit priority lanes. Still, progress on implementation remains frustratingly slow. Despite widespread policy adoption, most communities have struggled to translate policies into actual street improvements. Planning and designing transportation systems for real mode-switching humans instead of phantom average drivers creates safer, healthier, more livable communities. The question isn’t whether Complete Streets works—it’s whether we’ll finally implement it at scale. View the full article